


Shadows

by DarkHououmon



Category: Dino Squad
Genre: Alimon, Battle, CBS, Dino Squad - Freeform, DinoSquad, Dinosaur - Freeform, F/M, Gen, Kewlopolis, Raptor Dyne
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-25
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-11-12 21:19:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 173,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/495756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkHououmon/pseuds/DarkHououmon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.</p><p>But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Dinosaur

**Author's Note:**

> This started off as just a side story, but it's developed into more of a novelization. I don't know if this will end up as long as Scars was. Probably not. This story is also a bit more simplified, and due to how many characters there are, there isn't as much character development as I hoped there would be.
> 
> This is also a sequel of sorts to Shadows, as it takes place after it.

*Past*:

A female velociraptor ran across the forest floor. Normally she appeared as dark green with pale green stripes and a beige underside, her head feathers colored an even darker green, but now she was covered in slick mud and hardened blood. Her eyes were wide with horror and her mouth open, her tongue hanging out. Other than her breathing, the only sounds she could hear were horrid death screams from her pack mates as they were ripped to shreds by the intruders.

She leaped over a log and turned, a large cave coming into view, her target. She ran towards the cave and entered it. There was an occupant, a male velociraptor, red in color with a white underside and grey-purple stripes, lacking head feathers. He walked up to greet her, but seemed to hesitant when he seemed to register the look of shock on her face. The female velociraptor stood still, panting to catch her breath.

"Green Scale..." The male velociraptor hissed gently, noticing the blood covering her. He took a step forward and used his snout to push some mud off of the other velociraptor. He pulled back, a clump of mud now on his snout. "What has happened? Where are the other hunting members?"

"The hunting members and I were attacked.." She responded, grunting slightly in pain. She glanced down at her arm, where she had been bitten. "We never saw them coming."

The other velociraptor snapped his head back in shock. "You were attacked? By which of our competitors?"

"Neither." She responded.

"Neither? You're saying one of our foods attacked the hunting party?" He inquired, tilting his head slightly to the side. "It's not unheard of, but very rare."

Green Scale narrowed her eyes slightly. "If only it were that..."

The male velociraptor looked confused. "Then...what?"

Green Scale shook her head. "It was like nothing I had seen before...Strange creatures that..looked like prey but weren't.. They were too fast..too strong. They killed many of us so effortlessly while we struggled to even get a claw into them."

Just then, a loud roar echoed through the forest. The screeching of distant pterosaurs could be heard. The bellowing of startled prey mixed in. The two velociraptors snapped their heads back and looked out of the cave. They had never heard a roar like that before. It sounded similar to one of their biggest competitors, an oviraptor, but there was a more guttural sound in the roar. Another roar sounded out, this one sounded much closer.

They immediately turned to face the opening. They were the alphas of their pack and there were chicks to defend. Preparing for an attack, they split their jaws wide open and hissed loudly, raising their hands up to brandish their sharp claws. They stood side by side near the opening, waiting for one of the unknown creatures to show up. But instead they were met with a long, uncomfortable silence.

A few minutes pass by and they hadn't heard anymore sounds. The forest seemed to regain a calming atmosphere to it. But despite that, they didn't let their guard down. The male velociraptor walked towards the opening and looked around. The female velociraptor walked up to him and looked around as well. She pointed her snout upwards and sniffed a few times.

"I can detect them, Red Shadow." Green Scale turned to face her mate. "They are definitely close by."

Red Shadow shifted his gaze from side to size. "I cannot see them. Where are they hiding...?"

In front of them, there was hardly any thick foliage save for the trees. But there were no trees too close to the cave. Whatever was coming towards them, they would need to show their faces sooner or later. The two velociraptors knew this. They just needed to continue to keep watch, not giving the creatures any chance of a surprise attack. But no matter how long they stood outside the cave, they seemed to hear nothing and see nothing. The only thing they even detected was a light breeze in the air, blowing Green Scale's head feathers back.

Red Shadow snorted impatiently. "Why are those cowards hiding? Why don't they show themselves?" In frustration, he stomped on the ground and let out a loud roar. "Hey! We know you are there! Come on out!" He become more irritated when he got no response. "Cowards!"

Green Scale nudged her made somewhat roughly. "Red Shadow! Don't let them know we're out here! They could plan a sneak attack!"

The male velociraptor shook his head. "Sneak attack how? There's no other entrance to the cave, except..." His eyes widened. "Oh no!"

It didn't take Green Scale long to realize what her mate had just thought of. "The back entrance!"

The two velociraptors ran around to the back entrance, which lay several feet away. When they arrived, they were immediately met with a grisly site. One of their own, one of the chick's guardians, lay on the ground, ripped apart. They looked at the body in horror and quickly went into the back entrance. It was a little difficult as the back entrance was a burrow, similar to what the tiny mammals use, that lead into the back section of the cave. Once they were inside, they immediately began to look for the chicks.

All around them were corpses of the other guardians. Limbs were scattered, blood splattered all over the cave floor, the foul stench of death hung in the air. It didn't take them long to find a pack member that was still alive, good old Amber Eyes. They rushed to her side. She had a huge hole in her stomach, her intestines exposed. She lifted her head up and opened her jaws to speak.

"Why..if it isn't our brave leaders..." Amber Eyes spoke, her voice slightly laced in anger.

Red Shadow, doing his best to ignore her tone, said, "What happened here? Where are the chicks?"

Amber Eyes coughed, blood dripping from her jaws. She grinned painfully. "We never should have sent the hunting members out... Now we'll all pay the price." She paused and stared at Red Shadow and Green Scale. "...maybe not all of us. You can still get away." She laid her head back on the ground.

Green Scale nudged her gently. "Where are our chicks?"

The dying velociraptor managed a blood-choked chuckle. "They were..." Before she could finish, she fell silent, closing her eyes for the last time.

"Amber Eyes! Amber Eyes!" Green Scale shouted, her eyes wide with shock.

Red Shadow nudged her with his shoulder. "Nevermind that! I just heard the cry of our chicks!"

With that, the two dashed towards where the nursery lay. This was where they would keep the chicks when the hunting members were away. It was open to predation, but usually the guardians would keep the chicks safe. But now the chicks were vulnerable. All of the guardians had been killed by a strange predator they had never seen before. They knew they had to hurry, or else they would lose all of their chicks.

They finally found one of their chicks. The tiny dinosaur was scampering on the ground, as if it were trying to run away from something. Seeing nothing in sight, Green Scale raced towards the baby. Once she reached it, she placed her muzzle against its small, warm body. The chick immediately responded, nuzzling up against its mother. Red Shadow went up to his mate's side as he glanced down at the baby. The chick noticed its father and went up to nuzzle him as well, but he didn't return the affection, instead keeping watch.

They looked around and realized the rest of the chicks were missing. Further inspection revealed more blood splatters, but also something new, bloody footprints. They lead into a shadowy corner of the caved. They looked intently at the shadowed area, seeing nothing but blackness.

Then, after a few seconds, something flew from the shadows and landed in front of them. It was a mutilated corpse of a chick. The body had been ripped cleanly in half, most of its internal organs torn out. The two velociraptors looked at the body in horror and their surviving chick screeched and backed behind its parents. The initial shock of seeing one of their chicks dead quickly passed as they heard heavy footsteps.

Something large was coming out of the shadows, staring at them with gleaming eyes. When it came into the light, it was exposed as a bipedal creature, armed with large, sharp talons on its feet. Long, blade-like feathers sprouted from the back of its neck. Its muzzle was squared off, sharp teeth constantly exposed even when the jaws were closed. The creature was green with a yellow underside. In its jaws, it was holding one of their chicks, still alive as evidenced by it screeching in horror.

Red Shadow roared in fury and dashed towards the creature. He leaped into the air and brought his sickle claws forward, prepared to slash into this intruder. But the creature responded too quickly for him. It reared onto its hind legs and grabbed onto him with a front paw. Red Shadow was shocked momentarily by the presence of an opposable digit on the creature's paws, but he quickly turned his attention back to the creature itself.

He tried to bite into the creature's paw, but found himself slamming into the ground. He cried out in pain as the creature then struck him on his side, leaving long, bloody gashes over his ribcage. He glanced up as the creature's hand claws were closing in towards his head.

Green Scale, after nudging her chick behind a large rock, leaped onto the creature's back and sank her teeth into the creature's shoulders. The animal roared, releasing the chick from its jaws. Red Shadow, having recovered from his fall, snagged the chick in his jaws. Green Scale tried to hang on as the animal started go buck, frantically trying to throw her off. She managed to rip a chunk of flesh from the creature's back before falling into the ground.

"How dare you, you miserable little thing!" The creature spoke, revealing his gender to be male. He glanced down at the velociraptor that now lay at his feet. "No one ever harms an alimon and gets away with it!" He raised his paw in the air, prepared to strike down onto Green Scale's neck.

Green Scale barely dodged the attack and quickly turned back. That's when she noticed something odd about the alimon's left shoulder. There was some kind of scar there, shaped kind of like two sharp teeth crossing each other. Her attention was quickly averted from the scar, however, when the alimon lunged for her, slamming her into the ground and pinning her down with his weight.

Digging his claws into her head, he said, "If you would like to know the name of the one who killed off your pathetic pack, then let me tell you my name. It is Haze." Suddenly, Haze roared in pain as Green Scale drove her sickle claw into one of his back legs. As the alimon staggered back, Green Scale got to her feet and ran out of the cave with her mate and two surviving chicks.

Haze glanced at his wound, licking it tenderly and tasting the salty blood. He looked back to where the two velociraptors had fled, narrowing his eyes angrily. "You have just made a very fatal mistake..." With that, he ran off after them.

*Present*:

The science room at Kittery High was unusually quiet as their professor, Ms. Moynihan, was carrying a somewhat thick stack of papers to her desk. She positioned herself at her desk, not bothering to sit down as she glanced up at her class. "Now class, today we are going to be talking about DNA..."

As Ms. Moynihan was starting her educational speech, Caruso leaned back into his chair, folding his arms behind his back. He was bored and DNA wasn't a subject that interested him too much. It didn't help that he had stayed up extra late last night studying for an exam in another class. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

Max, who was sitting next to him, pushed his elbow gently against Caruso, causing the teen to snap to attention. "Caruso, pay attention!" He hissed in a low voice. "You know how Moynihan can be when she finds one of her students sleeping during class!"

Caruso narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes."

Max shook his head disapprovingly. "Whatever. Just keep your eyes on the teacher, not towards the ceiling." With that, he looked back at the teacher.

"Whatever." Caruso said, looking back at Moynihan as well. He tried to listen to her long speech about the history of DNA, how it was discovered and such. But no matter how hard he tried, he found he couldn't keep listening to her. Slowly, he closed his eyes and his head started to tilt forward.

"Irwin Caruso!" Ms. Moynihan's voice suddenly spat. Startled and humiliated by hearing his first and last name being called, Caruso snapped to attention. A few classmates started to chuckle as the professor put her hands on her hips. "I understand if you are in some urgent need of a nap, but please, wait until after school before you decide to doze off!"

Caruso lowered his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Professor Moynihan. It won't happen again."

"I sure hope so." Moynihan said. She was about to go back to the topic of DNA, but then she said, "I'd hate to think what the principal will do to you. After all, this is the third time this week you've fallen asleep in my class."

"But I..." Caruso started to say.

"But nothing!" Moynihan said sternly. It was clear she was not in the mood to hear anymore of the boy's excuses. "Now pay attention, unless you want to have another visit with the principal."

Caruso let out a long sigh. "Okay, Professor Moynihan..."

Moynihan nodded and then turned back to the class. "Now, to continue..."

___

After class was over, Caruso, along with Fiona and Buzz, were sitting at a table in the cafeteria, eating their lunch. All around them, they could hear the loud chatter of their classmates. It was so loud it was hard to hear each other speak. Caruso wasn't in a talkative mood anyway. He was eating slowly, even slower than usual. He rested his head on his hand and let out a soft sigh. Fiona and Buzz, who had finished eating, just shook their heads.

"Come on, Caruso..." Fiona said, holding her hand out slightly. "You aren't still upset that Moynihan called you out today, are you?"

Caruso grumbled. "I don't see why she had to say anything...I wasn't even sleeping!"

"Well, if she hadn't said something, you would have fallen asleep." Buzz pointed out. Caruso didn't bother to respond to Buzz's statement because he knew, deep down, it was true.

"But Caruso..." Fiona said. "You need to understand that, even though you're tired, you can't keep falling asleep in school. Just what are you doing staying up so late anyway?"

"Studying." Caruso replied in a bitter voice. "I was studying."

This didn't take Fiona or Buzz by surprise. They had been aware that Caruso really wanted to ace a test he was taking in another class. He had never aced a test before and, ever since his studying spree back when Buzz was getting a scholarship, he had been more and more interested in getting perfect scores on his tests. And for a while he was doing fine, until his sleep problems started to emerge.

They were subtle at first, such as delayed reactions in responding, yawning once or twice, but they got progressively worse, even to the point where he started to fall asleep during science class. And, no surprise, Ms. Moynihan wasn't very pleased with him and had lectured him at the lighthouse in their last meeting. But despite promises to stay awake, it seemed Caruso was having an increasingly hard time keeping his eyes open.

This concerned the others not just because of class, but also because Caruso has been slacking during the missions as well, at one point almost putting them all in danger. If it hadn't been for their newest member, Michelle, they all would have been captured by Veloci's men. After that mission, Moynihan scolded Caruso, but the boy seemed to dismiss her. He said that he had everything under control and nothing bad would have happened. His attitude displeased Moynihan and the rest of his teammates.

"Just try to stay awake next time." Fiona said with weak urgency. She had tried to tell him that before, but her words apparently always fall on deaf ears when it came to Caruso recently. While part of her was glad the stubborn Caruso was back, another part of her was frustrated.

"Don't worry." Caruso said, lacking enthusiasm. "I'll stay awake next time. I promise."

"You'd better." Buzz said, pointing at him. "I wouldn't want you to have to face the principal. I really don't like that guy."

"Why not?" Fiona asked, turning her head towards Buzz.

"He's just too strict." Buzz said. "If it weren't for my parents, I wouldn't have been allowed into the school with this hair." He stroked his green mohawk gently.

"Hey you guys." Said a voice. The trio turned to see Terri, Fiona's younger sister, coming up to them. It was rare for them to see Terri in the cafeteria at this time, but due to a temporary schedule change, she shared the same lunch hour as they did.

"Hello, Terri." Buzz, said, smiling. "What brings you over here?"

Terri smiled back. "I wanted to tell you guys something I heard about. It seems like something right up your alley, since you're the...you know..." She dare not speak the name 'Dino Squad' in public for fear of giving them away. She sat down next to Buzz.

Caruso decided to use this as an excuse to shift his thoughts to something else. Perhaps what Terri had to say would make him forget all about the incident back in the classroom. He stared at Terri and said, "What did you hear?"

Terri cleared her throat and, glancing at the trio to make sure they were paying attention to her, she said, "Well I hear some scientist has discovered an unknown species of dinosaur!"

"Big deal." Caruso mumbled, almost immediately losing interest. "Those scientist guys discover new dinosaurs all the time."

"This one is different." Terri insisted. "It can't even be classified. It looks like a sauropod, but it's..not. It's too different."

"How different?" Fiona asked.

Terri sighed and shook her head. "I honestly don't know... They didn't say anymore. They hadn't fully excavated the body yet. So far they just know its body is similar to that of a sauropod's, but there's something different in the way the bones are shaped."

"I wonder if Veloci has heard of this discovery yet." Buzz chimed in. "You know how he is with dinosaurs. If he discovers they found an unusual species, he'll probably try to take the remains for himself."

"I doubt that, Buzz." Fiona said. "He has already tried to recreate a dinosaur through its skeleton and that didn't work out too well for him." Fiona briefly remembered when Veloci tried to spray an advanced form of primordial ooze on some bones and it ended up dissolving the bones instead. "I don't think he'd want to risk ruining more fossils by trying to resurrect dinosaurs."

But despite her doubts, it still was a concern for her and the others. Veloci would find out about the discovery definitely. Exactly what he would do, they couldn't be entirely certain. But they knew one thing. They would need to tell Moynihan about this and formulate a plan to counter Veloci in case he tried anything.


	2. Doctor Axel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

The rest of the school day went by without incident for Caruso. For some reason, he found it easier to stay awake in most of his other classes recently. It was almost science class that he had a hard time recently keeping his eyes open. He thought that maybe the reason was because science class was one of the earlier classes he had to attend, but that didn't make any sense. He had a class before that and rarely fell asleep in that classroom.

It wasn't his highest priority at the moment anyway. Terri's message to them about a newly discovered dinosaur did cause his mind to turn to Veloci. He had never completely recovered from what had happened to him. He was almost back to his usual self, although he was less self-centered than he used to be and a bit more easily frightened than before. He also retained a faint scar on his face. Originally he thought it was gone, but, though faint, it was still there and he could still feel it.

Unfortunately, though not as common anymore, he still had nightmares about Veloci. They were shorter and less intense than they had been when they started, but they were still frightening enough to wake him up, often in the middle of the night. And almost always the nightmares would center around the bridle he was forced to wear for so many hours. Even though the bridle was long off of him and the pain gone, sometimes he still the cold metal in his mouth.

He didn't keep focus on this thought for too long, however, because he was currently standing in front of Ms. Moynihan at the lighthouse. Like usual, he and the others came to the lighthouse after school was over. His eyes were averted away from the old woman as she gave him another lecture about him sleeping in class. The rest of the Dino Squad were sitting nearby, watching the scene with wary eyes.

Moynihan also hadn't fully recovered from what Veloci did to her. Like Caruso, she was mostly back to normal, but still retained some side effects that seemed to be permanent. She was now more aggressive than usual. While not as bad as before, and she was able to easily keep herself from doing anything drastic, she still yelled more often and was more stern than she was before.

While Caruso knew it was not a good idea to talk back to Moynihan while she's like this, he still had enough courage in him to snap at her, "Okay, look, I'm sorry! You don't need to keep yelling at me! I was studying and I stayed up late, okay?!" All the while he kept his eyes turned away from her.

The Dino Squad flinched when Ms. Moynihan slammed her cane in the ground in frustration. She said, "Mr. Caruso! While I understand that you just want to pass your classes, I am sure you are fully aware you can study without staying up all night, don't you? Your studying excuse may be aiding you in one class, but it is hurting you not only in science class but also on the missions. You are endangering yourself and the others!"

"I know that! And I'm sorry!" Caruso shouted, finally turning his head to face Moynihan. "What do you want me to do about?!"

Moynihan paused for a moment, and, in an attempt to calm herself down, took in a few deep slow breaths. When she spoke again, her voice was somewhat calmer before, but still held a strong tinge of anger. "I would like you to keep studying but I'd also like you to stop staying up so late. If you want me to, I can arrange it so that you can go to the library after school hours and study there. If it's peace and quiet you want, you'll get it there."

Caruso sighed softly. "Okay."

Max, who was growing somewhat tense from listening to the conversation, decided to change the subject. He got up out of his seat, but didn't walk away from it. From where he stood, he said, "Hey, Ms. Moynihan. Did you hear about the discovery?"

Moynihan turned her head towards Max. "What discovery?"

"They found a new dinosaur species." Max said. He quickly added, "An unusual one at that. They say it had the appearance of a carnivorous sauropod."

Moynihan's eyes widened just slightly. It was clear she was interested in this discovery. But she also looked apprehensive, as if there was something she knew that she didn't want to talk about. Nonetheless, she walked over to Max, all signs of hostility gone from her. "Actually yes..I think I did hear something about that on the news. No doubt Veloci has as well."

Rodger raised his arms midway. "Of course he knows about it! That nut knows about all the latest scientific discoveries when it comes to dinosaurs!"

Next to him, Buzz nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't be surprised if he has a subscription to every dinosaur program in existence."

"Not necessarily." Michelle, who had remained quiet until now, spoke.

Rodger turned to her. "What do you mean?"

Michelle opened her mouth, but became silent again. She didn't look like she had much interest in continuing on with the conversation. This didn't come as a surprise to the others. She was still frightened of Veloci, if not more so than Caruso was, and it still felt awkward for her to talk about him. Back when she worked at Raptor Dyne, she would have been punished if she said anything about Veloci that he didn't like.

In an attempt to encourage her to continue, Buzz said, "What were you going to say?"

"Oh nothing that interesting." Michelle said casually, leaning back in her seat. "It's just that, well, Veloci never really enjoyed dinosaur programming. Some he likes, but most he doesn't."

Buzz chuckled, finding this amusing. "Why would he be upset about a dinosaur program?"

"Because he is sick of humans trying to guess what dinosaurs were like and what they looked like. He is quite hostile towards some of the theories, like velociraptors having feathers, and he feels these programs just prove how stupid humans are." Michelle said as she twirled a few threads of brown hair with her finger. "He once even punished me after he caught me watching one of those programs."

Moynihan sighed and shook her head. "It seems he hasn't changed that much. I would try to watch a dinosaur program and often it would be ruined by him complaining about it."

"I wonder how he'll hear about this discovery, then." Buzz said thoughtfully. "If he doesn't like watching programs, how does he keep up with the latest discoveries?"

Rodger replied, "Television is not the only place where one could learn about the latest findings. If anything, Veloci probably at least has his men keeping an eye out for the latest news and report to him if they find anything that may be of use for him."

"That's usually how he did it, yes." Michelle said, pointing at Rodger. "He would only want them to give the basics; I guess he didn't want to be bothered with details he knows are false."

"So what could Veloci possibly try to do anyway?" Fiona said. She felt like she needed to bring up another point again. "He can't use the skeleton because, the last time he tried to resurrect a dinosaur from its bones, the bones dissolved almost immediately."

Fiona did seem to have a point. Veloci wouldn't want to waste more precious fossils on the chance that the ooze would dissolve more fossils. Veloci was rather protective of fossils and would often not allow a human to touch them if he could do something about it. He didn't feel humans were worthy of touching bones of a superior species. He even had some complete skeletons back at Raptor Dyne from what Michelle had told them.

Another thing that Michelle told them that did not come as a surprise, especially to Moynihan, was there was another part of Raptor Dyne they did not see. It was another set of caves, separate from the one filled with test tubes and was off limits to everyone but himself, though on occasion he'd let one of his dinosaur transforming members enter the room. Michelle herself had been in it. The area was a near perfect replica of a small, prehistoric jungle, with vines, ferns, and other ancient plants growing, and the heat was comparable to that of sixty-five million years ago. Michelle explained that Veloci sometimes would go there to relax and be alone, especially after a failed mission. He would then come out and, sometimes, make a comment about how he wishes the whole planet felt as relaxing as that room.

While Moynihan might have a similar thought, since she was a velociraptor herself, she knew she couldn't allow Veloci to succeed in doing that. She had left him long ago and she doesn't intend on going back to him ever. She loved the human species and their culture, finding them to be more beneficial than the brute force ideals of Veloci and his global dinosaur domination plan. She knew full well what the consequences would be if he were successful, and it would endanger not only the humans, but Veloci himself.

"So what are your thoughts on the discovery, Ms. Moynihan?" Caruso finally spoke again.

"Fascinating as usual." Moynihan said. "Before I met humans, I never realized how many different types of dinosaurs there were. It always interests me when they find out about a new species."

"What do you think Veloci to do when he finds out?" Fiona asked.

Moynihan paused and glanced at the ground. It was one of those rare moments where she didn't really have an answer. She did know Veloci very well. After all they used to be mates. But for some reason she couldn't think of what Veloci would do about a sauropod-like carnivore except try to recreate it through mutating animals. "He may try to upgrade his primordial ooze to try to focus on the specific look of the new dinosaur and try to resurrect it that way." The Dino Squad looked at each other, not sure what to think.

Max just thought of something. Without pausing, he said, "Ms. Moynihan..are you familiar with a carnivorous sauropod?"

Moynihan seemed to hesitate. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..have you heard of such a thing before?" Max asked.

"..No..not really." Moynihan said with slight hesitation.

___

A large red truck was moving along a street, slowing down gradually. The front of it was designed to look like the jaws of a prehistoric predator. It looked large enough to hold a dinosaur easily. It was one of Veloci's trucks. He had multiple ones, a precaution ever since his first one sank in a frozen lake when he was going after Buzz. All the trucks were overall the same, though some may have extra additions depending on their intended function. For instance some may be a bit larger if Veloci were expecting to hold a large mutantsaur inside.

The red truck slowed to a stop in front of a large museum. Inside the front of the truck, two men sat down next to each other, both wearing full body suits and helmets to keep their identities anonymous. One of them pulled out a mic and spoke into it. "We're here, sir."

A sliding door behind them opened and Veloci walked out. He walked in between the two seats to peer out the window in front of him. Satisfied that they were at their designated location, he said, "You two wait in here. I won't be long." With that, Veloci walked out of the red truck and into the large museum.

The inside of the museum had a very high ceiling and many displays of fossils, some mounted on the walls, others behind rope. There were many dinosaur and prehistoric mammal skeletons mounted up, many dwarfing the visitors. To some visitors, this was an awe-inspiring site, but not to Veloci. To him, all it did was show how puny and inferior humans were when they stood next to a dinosaur skeleton.

He didn't come to admire the dinosaur skeletons. He had come to meet up with Dr. Axel, another scientist like himself. The fossils had been sent to her for study. He had talked to her on the phone and had arranged to meet with her in the back room of the museum. While he was hoping to have her visit Raptor Dyne instead, she insisted that they meet here. She said that she felt more comfortable talking about the bones at her workstation. This was, after all, where she worked. While he didn't completely understand why she wanted to talk here, Veloci obliged. He had to admit that Dr. Axel was brilliant, for a human anyway, so he was interested in getting her input on the strange new dinosaur species.

He opened the door that lead to the back section. All around there were cabinets which he knew were filled with different kinds of fossils. In a few places there were large tables and tools, no doubt to examine and extract fossils that were recently discovered. Moving a little further back, he made a turn and there, standing at a table, was Dr. Axel. She was facing him, smiling.

Dr. Axel dressed in a bright yellow vest with a red-violet shirt underneath. Her hair was medium length and brown in color. She had red fingernail polish on and her eyes were an icy blue. Despite her somewhat odd looks, she was intelligent and was proficient in studying fossils, particularly those of dinosaurs.

"Why hello there, Dr. Veloci." Axel said, her smile turning slightly sly. "I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Never mind that now." Veloci said as he approached her. He eyed the skull next to the woman. "Is that the new species?" He asked her, eyeing the skull with curiosity.

"Yes." Axel said, turning around to look at the skull. "This is that new species that was discovered. Bizarre looking thing isn't it?" She pulled the blanket that covered most of the specimen off to reveal the rest of the body, or what was found anyway. Many bones were missing, but the general appearance of the animal was there. "Looks like a sauropod, but, as you can see by the teeth, definitely a carnivore." The creature's skull housed several large, sharp teeth, obvious tools for killing prey. "There's still many bones missing from this animal, but it's obvious this creature ran on all fours."

"Yes." Dr. Veloci said, noting how long the forelimbs were. "I can see that. Quite a contradiction, don't you think?" Axel looked over at Veloci. "Most meat eating dinosaurs that were discovered were two-legged. This may be the first that is an obvious four-legged animal, must like modern day...mammals." He hesitated on the word mammal. He hated to speak it.

Axel walked over to a cabinet and opened it. She pulled out a large slab of stone and carried it to the table. "This was discovered with the creature. It appears to be one of its paws." The stone was broad and somewhat flat. In the center were the unmistakable bones of a paw, showing the digits of the creature clearly. "This is unusual. To explain, this creature is dated back only the late cretaceous, but here.." She pointed to the claws. "..it's easy to tell that this animal had four digits, much like older types of dinosaurs. And once even stranger is that this animal had an opposable digit, like primates. This feature isn't unheard of though. Troodon is thought to have the same thing. But it is odd to find it on a four-legged animal."

Veloci eyed the paw, paying close attention to detail. It did seem interesting that a four-legged animal would develop opposable digits. This would clearly mean the animal must have spent some time on two-legs, or at least freed its forelimbs for manipulation once in a while. "Can you tell, from the fossil, if this animal could go on two legs?"

"It's too early to tell yet, but that's a very real possibility." Axel said. "Especially since it has an opposable digit. It obviously used it for something." She placed the stone slab on the table and looked over at Veloci, as if she knew he wanted to say something.

Veloci thought about this for a moment. "A four-legged animal that can go on two legs. That sounds almost like..."

"A bear? Yes I thought the same thing." Dr. Axel said. "But there are some reptiles that can go on two legs, lizards anyway. A similar mechanism may have been used by these creatures. Perhaps they went on two legs to help themselves move faster."

"And the opposable digits were probably used to move stuff out of the way." Veloci commented. "Another possibility is that they were climbers. Maybe their prey was mostly in the trees." He paused for a second, then continued. "Perhaps they hunted rodents."

Dr. Axel contemplated this for a few seconds, but then shook her head. "Unlikely. Their body mass is too large to have survived on rodents alone. They appear to be larger than the average polar bear at least. They'd need more pounds of flesh to survive and I doubt rodents of the late cretaceous would have been sufficient enough for them."

Dr. Veloci nodded his head. "Understandable. That makes sense. Perhaps they only fed on rodents if they were starving."

Dr. Axel was about to respond, but her cellphone suddenly rang out. She pulled out her cell and put it against her ear. "Hello? Oh it's you." She sounded somewhat disgusted, making it obvious she wasn't in the mood to talk to whoever was on the phone. "I'll be there in a few minutes okay?" She hung up the cellphone quickly and turned back to Veloci. "I'm sorry but we'll have to cut this meeting short. One of my associates insists I come to them. Business as usual."

Veloci nodded slowly. "I understand. We can continue this discussion later." Feeling satisfied with the information that Axel was able to give him, he turned around and walked away.

Axel kept watching him. When he disappeared, she finally looked away and glanced back at the skeleton. "A shame. I was hoping to study you some more. But that'll have to wait."


	3. Sudden Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

After arriving back at Raptor Dyne, Veloci couldn't help but allow his thoughts to go back to the strange creatures Axel had described to him. As he rode the elevator deep into the bowels of Raptor Dyne, he wondered why the species seemed a bit familiar to him. He had never heard of such animals before, and yet there was still something familiar about them, as if he had encountered them once before, so long ago.

Either way, that was of little importance to him. What he was interested in was finding someway to use this discovery to his advantage. He knew he couldn't use the current primordial ooze on the fossils; they'd be destroyed like before. But if he were to modify the ooze, maybe it could work. These odd dinosaurs might prove useful in his battle against the pesky Dino Squad, a group of teenagers who had been a thorn in his side for so long. If it weren't for the traitorous Michelle, he would have been able to kill them all.

He tried his best not to think of Michelle. Thoughts of her almost always invoked feelings of rage within himself, and that wasn't going to help him with his plans of global dinosaur domination. He had wasted enough time trying to kill Michelle, so, for the time being, he had given up on that to refocus his efforts on perfecting the primordial ooze. Despite having gotten the DNA from the so-called 'perfect dinosaurs', the primordial ooze wasn't perfected as quickly as he had initially hoped. There were still some problems to work out, but he was happy that the ooze was at least creating better mutants and were becoming more difficult for the Dino Squad to de-ooze.

The elevator doors opened and he walked into the large, crimson, cavernous lab of Raptor Dyne, filled with monitors, scientists, experiments, and test tubes. The scientists were busy working with the primordial ooze, looking at samples under the microscope. A few of Veloci's men were also present, standing near a computer console, probably to check on statistics or looking at a map to see if any new mutantsaurs had showed up.

There was someone else present, but Veloci wasn't aware of her presence until she dashed towards him from the shadows, nearly taking him by surprise. "So how did your meeting with that..what was her name? Dr. Axel? Or whatever her name is.. How did that go?"

"It went fine, Oscura. No complications." Veloci answered.

Oscura folded her arms. "No interruptions from the Dino Squad?"

Veloci snarled slightly. "Of course not. They only show up if there's primordial ooze or mutantsaurs involved."

"You never know with them." Oscura said, her voice slightly darkened. "They have a way of taking us by surprise."

"Which has decreased ever since we found out they were the 'perfect dinosaurs.'" Veloci said before he started to walk off.

He didn't have to turn around to know that Oscura was following him. Unlike Michelle, Oscura was very loyal to him and was eager to please him. She was probably one of the most enthusiastic employees of Raptor Dyne he had, but that wasn't the major reason he kept her around. Both Oscura and Michelle were infected by the same primordial ooze as the Dino Squad and, thus, both had 'perfect dinosaur' forms. Normally Veloci wouldn't dream of hiring very young humans for his company, but he mad an exception for Oscura and Michelle, believing their abilities would be useful for Raptor Dyne.

And useful they both were...until Michelle betrayed him. Her interference had caused him to lose his opportunity to kill off the Dino Squad when he had the chance to. But that was history now. There was nothing he could do about that. He knew he would get another chance; he just needed to be patient.

"So is there anything you want me to do?" Oscura asked, who was keeping pace with Veloci.

Veloci turned his head towards her while his body still moved forward. "What makes you think I have any mission planned out for you?"

"I didn't think you did." Oscura confessed innocently, but anyone could easily tell she was faking it. "It's just that you haven't given me any assignments recently and I'm getting bored."

Veloci growled. "Oh you'll live. Find some other way to entertain yourself."

Oscura folded her arms again. "I did have a way to do that with Michelle, but she's no longer with us, now is she?"

Veloci growled again but didn't bother to answer. He had more important things on his mind. This was a reason why, at one time, he had preferred Michelle over Oscura. Michelle, though less aggressive, acted more mature than Oscura. Michelle would act more serious and didn't complain so much when she had nothing to do. Oscura, on the other hand, wasn't much of a joy to be around when she went for a long time without anything to do. He guessed it was because she was impatient and wanted her mind to be constantly occupied with a task.

After a bit of silence, Oscura uncrossed her arms and let them relax at her sides. "So what do you have planned?"

Veloci answered, "Nothing for the moment. I need to wait until I learn as much as I can about these new dinosaurs before I attempt to recreate them with primordial ooze."

Oscura cocked an eyebrow. "What? Didn't your last attempt fail?"

"Yes. I'm quite aware of that." Veloci hissed. He quickly regained his composure. "Which is why I am going to need to perform increased experimentations with the primordial ooze to create a batch that won't harm fossils. My earlier batches, from before I obtained the 'perfect dinosaur' DNA, didn't harm fossil, but, for some reason, after adding the dinosaur DNA to the mix, it causes a reaction that destroys the bone." He tilted his eyes upward in a thoughtful way. "I'll need to find a way to fix that problem before I attempt to use the stuff on fossils again."

Oscura chuckled lightly. She was sometimes amused by the experiments Veloci would do recently. "And which of your men will be the lucky contestants?" Recently, due to interferences from the Dino Squad, Veloci has performed many recent experiments with his primordial ooze on his own men in the safety of Raptor Dyne.

"I won't need any human for this. Or animal for that matter." Veloci said. "What I need are fossils. Useless fossils, ones that I won't care about if they are destroyed or not." He stopped as he stood in front of a large computer monitor, the same one he had used before when he was trying to find the 'human accomplices'.

"And what would that be?" Oscura asked.

Veloci turned to her. "Ancient mammalian fossils."

Footsteps could be heard as someone approached Veloci from the side. The figure was dressed in the typical Raptor Dyne outfit, but the helmet was gone, showing the easily recognizable face of Zoom. Veloci had forced both him and Ryan to join Raptor Dyne.

"I didn't know you were interested in mammalian fossils." Zoom commented nonchalantly, smirking. He immediately became quiet when Veloci turned to glare at him.

"You'd be wise to watch your mouth, human." Veloci warned him. "Or would you want to be part of yet another experiment?"

Zoom shook his head and smiled nervously. "No thank you." He said as he started to take a couple steps back. "I just never thought you would want anyone to get mammal fossils."

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't." Veloci said, not doing anything to hide his apparent disgust of the idea. "But this is one of those rare times mammals will actually be useful in my plans."

"And just who are you sending out?" Zoom asked, trying to sound calm.

Veloci paused for a moment to think. He didn't like the idea of sending Zoom or Ryan out to do anything. They still needed to prove their worth to him before he allowed them to even set foot outside of Raptor Dyne. He thought of Oscura, but her violent tendencies may make the mission more difficult. Kista is a possibility, but he wasn't entirely sure. However, there was still one other person he could send.

"Zoom, go find Peter for me." Veloci said as he interlocked his fingers. "And tell him I have a special task in mind for him."

___

"Did you hear the news today?" Mrs. Maxwell said. She was sitting at the dinner table, cutting up her piece of steak. She was looking at her son, Max, when she spoke. "There was a recent murder."

Max, who was in the process of eating a spoonful of vegetables, glanced over at his mother. He swallowed the food and said, "No I haven't heard of any murder. Where did it happen?"

"Somewhere in town." Mrs. Maxwell responded.

Max's eyes widened slightly. He briefly wondered if any of his friends were the victims, but he mentally shook the thought out of his mind. If they could handle a prehistoric velociraptor bent on world domination, they could handle a single murderer. Still, the thought of a murderer being in Kittery Point was worrying him. He looked down at his plate and wondered if he wanted to finish eating.

Mr. Maxwell looked a bit upset with his wife. "Do you always need to bring up bad news while we're having supper? I just want to enjoy my steak, not worry about who died today."

"Well I'm sorry." Mrs. Maxwell said, though her town of voice showed she wasn't being very sincere. "I was just trying to make conversation."

Max, who wasn't feeling very hungry anymore, placed his fork on the table and turned to his mom. "What did they say about the murder?"

His mom said, "They found a body ripped to shreds in the woods earlier today. Organs strewn all over the place. They aren't actually sure if it was a murder or not. Some say a wild animal did it, perhaps a black bear. But others are saying some insane person did it."

Max flinched at the thought of body parts all over the forest floor. Mr. Maxwell, apparently tired of hearing his wife's gruesome story and feeling concerned for his son's well being, said, "That's enough talk of that. There'll be no more discussion of murder for the rest of the night."

Max, feeling a bit relieved at his dad's intervention, immediately got up from the table. "Well I'll excuse myself now and get to bed."

His mom looked over at him, confused. "Tired already? It's only about seven."

"Early to bed, early to rise." Max said as he disappeared from the dining room.

___

The next day at school, Max relayed the information to his teammates during their lunch hour. They all looked shocked that a gruesome murder occurred so close to where they lived. While opinions on what could be behind the murder varied, one opinion they all shared was that Veloci wasn't involved. They saw very little reason for Veloci to want to dismember a human and leave them out in the open. It wouldn't further his goals any.

They also agreed that they should inform Moynihan as soon as possible. If there was a chance that a mutantsaur was responsible, they would need to find out quickly before the animal was shot, risking further contamination if it were eaten by other animals. Another bad thing that could happen is the animal could be caught and its DNA tested, which might expose primordial ooze to the public. They agreed that if primordial ooze were revealed to the public, it could create more problems than it could potentially solve.

"I sure hope an animal wasn't responsible." Buzz said softly. He rested his arms on the cold, flat table. "I don't like the idea of allowing another man with a gun to shoot another wild animal."

"I don't like the idea either, Buzz, but you know that's only done to avoid further conflict." Fiona explained.

"Yes I know." Buzz said. "Still..."

"We don't even know if it was an animal. For all we know, it was just some random nutjob who had apparently had nothing better to do but rip the body apart." Michelle chimed in. "The only way we'd be able to find out what it was is if we find the body and examine it for ourselves, or we could wait until the biopsy report is done and they release the information in the newspaper."

Buzz turned to her. "How messed up would someone have to be to do something like that?"

Michelle smirked slightly at Buzz. "You and I both know there's a lot of people out there who are like that."

Buzz knew Michelle was right, but sometimes he wished she wasn't so blunt about it. While he liked her, there were times when she would do something that would bother him. Michelle was, most of the time, a sympathetic person, but once in a while, her somewhat colder, sometimes sarcastic side would show up, more often when she is frustrated or upset. Regardless of that, though, the team still valued her input.

Michelle continued, "Anyway I'm sure this is just an isolated incident. The odds of a similar crime like this happening again in this same area are slim. And we all pretty much agreed that Veloci isn't behind this whole thing."

"It doesn't matter if Veloci was involved or not." Max said, looking over at Michelle. "The point is someone was murdered in this town. Don't you care about that?"

Michelle shook her head. "I never said I didn't care. I'm just saying that there might not be another murder like this again in this own."

"Unless a serial killer were involved." Rodger pointed out.

Michelle glared at him. "Do you have to be such a downer?"

Rodger said, "But it's the truth. If a serial killer is involved, then who knows who else will be killed?"

"Did they ever identify the body?" Caruso asked cautiously.

"No, at least not yet." Max explained. "The body was apparently too torn up to be identified and there was no ID on the body. So they have to wait for DNA results."

Terri said, "Perhaps I could go check to see if I can identify the body."

Max immediately shook his head and narrowed his eyes slightly at her. "Two problems with that, Terri. First, the body was moved and taken somewhere so they can analyze the blood. And second, I don't think they will allow a baryonyx into a building."

Terri frowned. "Come on, this is one of those times where a great sense of smell will be helpful!"

Max raised his hand. "Enough. Just because you can morph now doesn't mean you can go dino whenever you want to. And don't forget, transforming will make you visible to Veloci, and when he sees that you are alone, he may have his men go after you."

Terri sighed softly. "Yeah I know." Recently, due to an accident, she was exposed to primordial ooze and gained a baryonyx form. But despite being able to transform, the team tried to restrict her from doing so as often as possible for her own safety. They were worried she'd go dino and go somewhere by herself, making her an easy target for Veloci.

Buzz said, "So...which one of us is going to tell Ms. Moynihan?"

Being leader and feeling like he should accept the responsibility, Max got up. "I'll go tell her."

"Now?" Caruso asked. "But lunch isn't over yet. We aren't allowed to just wander the halls, you know."

Max grabbed his plate and lifted it off the table. "No not yet. I was just putting the tray away. I will inform Moynihan when we arrive at the lighthouse today." The others watched him as he walked away.

When he came back and sat down, Michelle looked at him intently. "Let us hope that, whatever it was that attacked that man, isn't going to come back anytime soon."

"But you were the one who said..." Max started to say.

"I'm aware of what I said." Michelle cut him off. "But it wouldn't hurt to remain cautious. That is something I learned while working at Raptor Dyne. Having your guard up is better than having it down." She looked at Max, then the other members of the team. "And trust me, I know this from experience. So hopefully, whatever attacked that man, was alone and isn't planning on coming back."

___

At a facility in Kittery Point, two men, both dressed in white clothes, were standing close to a body, or what remained of it. The body, the same as the one Max heard about, was missing a lot of body parts, including an arm and both legs. The stomach cavity was ripped wide open, most of the organs missing. The head was crushed beyond recognition and the lower jaw was missing. It was a gruesome sight, but these two men, trained to deal with dead bodies and having been in many different cities, were used to scenes like this, although this was a tad more gruesome than other ones they've seen.

Next to the table with the body was a metallic tray filled with tools. One of the men grabbed a small Q-Tip and placed it inside what remained of the victim's mouth. He rubbed it lightly and gave the sample to his partner, who took it without question.

"Take that to the lab and analyze the saliva." The man ordered. The other man nodded and left the room.

The remaining man looked back at the body, his face scrunched up in disgust. "It's amazing that there exist people in this world who would do such a thing..." He looked the body up and down and shook his head. "And yet time after time, it's been proven that there are people like that, often in such gruesome ways."

He heard the door open behind them. "Who is it?" He asked without turning around.

"Don't tell me you don't recognize me. It's me, Dr. Axel!" The woman chuckled and smiled playfully. "Is your memory beginning to fail you, Stewart?" She asked light-heartedly.

Stewart failed to see the humor in Axel's statement. Frowning, he said, "This is no time to make a joke. There was a..."

"..murder yes. I was informed of that." Dr. Axel said.

"So why are you here?" Something then came to his mind. "And how did you get in here anyway? No one except certified staff is allowed back here."

Axel smiled slyly at him. "I have my ways." She leaned in close to Stewart.

The man moved away from Axel and turned his attention back towards the body. He had been in the same college as Axel and, at times, had worked with her until they chose vastly different fields to work in. Sometimes she would stop by to say hello to him and he did enjoy talking with her most of the time, but this was one of those times when he wasn't in the mood for her humor.

Dr. Axel approached him from behind. Her eyes looked at the corpse on the table. She looked at Stewart. "So..no luck in identifying the body?"

Steward shook his head. "Not yet. I sent my partner out to analyze the saliva. We should have results soon, but not today of course. It takes time, you know."

"Yes I know." Axel nodded her head.

"Anyway you should get out of here." Stewart pointed towards the door located in front of him. He looked at the woman. "I'm not sure what you did to convince the staff members to allow you in, but you should go before things get worse."

Dr. Axel frowned, but nodded her head. She seemed disappointed she had to leave early, but she understood the rules well enough. She waved goodbye to Stewart and opened the door. But before she closed it, she looked back at him and spoke in a low voice. "I think things may have already gotten worse."

Stewart looked confused. "What do you mean?" But it was too late. Axel had already shut the door behind her, leaving a baffled Stewart behind in the room. "What was she talking about...?" He asked himself quietly.

But he had more important things to focus on now. Dr. Axel's puzzling message would need to wait. He went back to the body. While his partner was delivering the saliva sample, he would work more on examining the wounds. This was his partner's specialty, but he would be back in a few minutes. There was no harm in starting without him.

He wanted to take a closer look at the wounds on the lower part of the body, where the legs were now just stumps. He could easily see a piece of bone sticking out of both of them and recognized it as what remained of the thigh bone. He leaned a bit closer to stare at the wound. He had initially believed the legs were sawed off by an amateur, but then something caught his eye, something he hadn't noticed before until now. The bone didn't look like it was sawed off, but rather chewed off.

If the bone was chewed off, that meant that an animal was the culprit. But he wasn't entirely positive on that. Perhaps a human made the kill and an animal had showed up to scavenge some parts. That would explain why body parts were missing. But now that he thought of it, he didn't see remains of a typical human attack. There were no clean slits or bullet wounds. He glanced at the crushed skull. Perhaps that was the killing blow. Perhaps the man's head was crushed under tremendous weight, like a truck, and that's what did the victim in. Stewart couldn't be certain until he analyzed the body some more.

He waited for his partner, Will, to come back while he examined the wounds on the body more. Further examination seemed to point towards an animalistic attack rather than human attack, but he wasn't willing to draw conclusions until he could discuss things more with Will. He wanted to show his findings to Will and listen to his input on it.

But when the minutes turned into an hour, he started to feel confused. It shouldn't have taken this long for him to deliver the sample. What could be keeping him? Perhaps Will was pulled over by a staff member to speak with him, perhaps about the body. That was the only thing that could be the problem. Will wasn't the type to just wander off like this.

Stewart walked over to the phone sitting at a desk that was attached to the wall. He dialed a number and it rang. He waited for someone to pick up. But after several moments and no one picking up, Stewart hung the phone. "That was odd. I guess they left early." No one picking up didn't really alarm Stewart. There was probably just no one at the desk at the moment, perhaps on a bathroom break. But instead of calling back, Stewart decided to go looking for Will himself. He exited the room behind him and locked the door.

He made his way down the hall, walls painted with white with a horizontal stripe in the middle. All the doors in the hallway were shut, just like he expected them to be. He looked up at the sign that showed him where the lab was. He went in that direction and walked up a flight of stairs. He turned left and went down another hallway. He could see the hallway turned right. The lab would be down that hallway. He came to the end of the hall and turned...and froze.

On the hard floor, he could clearly see blood stains. There was no blood anywhere else, just on the floor, and they looked like footprints, which lead into a room, and the door was wide open. This took Stewart by surprise. In most of his time working here, the doors were almost never left open. What else struck him as odd was the the lights were all off, putting the room in shadow. If no one was in there, then why was the room left open?

Considering that there were some new people that recently joined the building, he thought that someone had just cut themselves, left the lab and didn't close the door. It was hard to tell where the footprints were heading, but that is likely what happened.

He walked towards the room, being careful to avoid the blood stains on the ground, and entered the room. He flipped on a light and looked around. The room was devoid of any staff members, which didn't surprise him. He looked at the floor to see where the blood stains were coming from. He followed the blood stains and it took him to a corner in the room, behind a large desk. He frowned. That was unusual. That desk didn't usually carry any sharp tools. In fact, it was empty because the staff member who used to own the desk had left recently.

Walking over to the table, he looked over to see the origin of the blood trail. He was expecting to see a sharp tool with blood on it, having been dropped when the staff member accidentally cut himself, but instead he got a gruesome surprise. He let out a scream and almost stumbled backwards. On the ground, next to the chair, was the body of Will. The body was mutilated, the head and limbs ripped off and intestines hanging out from a large gash in the stomach. The only reason he knew it was Will was because the name tag was still on the bloodied shirt.

He looked around him and realized there were more blood stains. When he followed them, he came across more bodies. Most of them were located in one spot, as if the killer had piled them there to make room so he could get out. He quickly took notice of the smell of death that hung in the air and covered his nose. He quickly rain out of the room and down the stairs. At the base of the stairs, he leaned against the wall, breathing quickly.

When he caught his breath, he quickly went to the office where his boss would be, but when he opened the door, he was met with the same grisly image. His boss's body was torn apart, just like the other bodies were. He slowly backed out of the room, unsure of what to do. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone to dial for help.

But before he could dial any number, something whacked the phone out of his hand. He flinched in pain and held his hand, a red mark forming where he was struck. A shadow enveloped him and he could feel hot breath on the back of his neck. He looked around and saw a flash of yellow white, then something grabbed a hold of his head. Pain erupted from his skull as what felt like multiple thick needles bit into him and he closed his eyes tightly. He was pulled onto the ground, hitting it with a thud. Then something heavy stepped onto his chest. He managed to open his eyes and saw what looked like four large, bloodstained claws on his chest.

"What are y..." That was the last thing he managed to say before there was a loud crushing sound and his world went black.


	4. First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

"Today, several workers at a local facility were found dead, ripped apart and mutilated. Police were tipped off by an anonymous emergency caller and arrived at the scene shortly after. The staff members that survived the assault claimed to have heard no noise while the attacks were going on. The attacks also seemed localized; only staff members working with the first victim course were killed..."

There was a brief pause, then the voice continued.

"I stand corrected. Most of the bodies found were staff members involved with dealing with the victim's body, but at least one of them, a high ranking boss, wasn't involved and was still killed. Whether or not the attacker's actions were deliberate or random, we can't say for sure. We'll report back to you live when we receive more details."

The screen screeched, and then went black, revealing the reflection of Veloci, who had been watching the bit of news. He had a smirk on his face and his fingers tapping each other.

"Very interesting...this may prove useful to me." Veloci commented to himself as he stared at the black screen. "Perfect.."

___

"Oh my.." Moynihan said to herself and she looked through an article on one of her computers. The article was very recent, having been posted up only about an hour ago. It detailed the events at the local facility that claimed the lives of many workers there. It described how the bodies were ripped apart, many beyond recognition.

Moynihan knew she had to discuss this with her students. She couldn't help but feel Veloci was behind the assault. It was a risk-taker and she knew Veloci well enough that he would avoid dangerous risks if he could, but even that didn't completely rule him out. He may have wanted to start some kind of riot, perhaps as part of an elaborate plan to make the public fear the 'perfect dinosaurs' even more so, putting her students at risk of attack.

Knowing that her students were still in the lighthouse, she immediately got up from her seat and went towards the stairs. She took a few steps, but stopped when she heard another set of footsteps. She waited until she could clearly see who was making the noise.

"Max! I was just coming down to talk with you and the others." Moynihan said.

Max kept walking up until he was a few steps in front of the old woman. "Ms. M, I need to talk to you."

Moynihan nodded her head. "As do I, dear boy. There's been a recent attack in Kittery Point. Someone, or something, has slaughtered many employees, most of them having some role in examining the corpse found initially."

Max blinked. "You know about that?" Then the information Moynihan gave him began to sank in. His eyes widened. "There's been more attacks?" Moynihan nodded her head. "All executed in a gruesome fashion?" Moynihan once again nodded her head. Max placed his hand on his head. "Oh man..."

"I have a feeling Veloci may be behind this." Moynihan said.

Max looked confused. He looked at Ms. Moynihan. "Why would he do something like this? It's too risky."

She nodded her head. "True yes. But this seems like the sort of thing he'd do if he wanted to purposely stir up trouble." She sighed softly. "And with what happened recently, now that he knows who we are, he may be doing this to turn the public against us."

The boy frowned. "Well if that's his plan.."

Moynihan lifted a hand. "Not now, Max. Let's speak with the others first and from there figure out a plan." Max nodded his head and he and Moynihan made their way down the stairs together.

When they reached the living room, they found the rest of the Dino Squad sitting around quietly, being patient. When they realized that Max had returned, they all turned to look at him and Moynihan as they slowly entered the living room. They remained quiet as Max and Moynihan sat down in their usual spots. Moynihan took a few extra seconds to adjust herself on her favorite chair and placed her cane next to her seat. Once that was done, she turned her attention to her students.

"I'm sure you kids have heard about the latest murders, haven't you?" Moynihan said. Except for Max who already knew, the teenagers looked shocked by this information. "Yes, I'm afraid there's been more than one murder now. Many employees at the local medical facility have been killed, all of them in similar gruesome ways as the first victim. Most employees killed were involved in examining the body, giving the appearance the attacks were deliberate and planned ahead, as if whoever or whatever did it didn't want anyone finding out about what killed that first victim. However I'm thinking that Veloci may be the orchestrator of this attack. He may have arranged this somewhat as part of an elaborate scheme to turn the public against us and make it more likely for us to be attacked whenever we go dino."

"That seems like something Veloci would do. But that still seems like too big a risk. Wouldn't that mean that Veloci himself would also be at risk? After all, he does morph more times than you do, Ms. M." Terri said almost immediately.

Moynihan became quiet and took that into consideration. Terri did just make a valid point. Why would Veloci want to do something like this if it means putting risk to himself as well? That didn't seem like the velociraptor she knew for so long. "Good point, Terri. Would you mind offering your input on the situation then?"

Terri shook her head. "I'm afraid I got nothing. Until we find out more details about these attacks, I'm afraid I can't come up with anything." She was about to ask someone else what they thought, but then something came to her mind. "Wait..there is something. Didn't you say that the people who were killed were almost all exclusively those who had been working on the body?"

Moynihan said, "Yes, that is true. I also said that it gives the impression that, whoever or whatever was behind the attacks, didn't want them to find out information about the body."

"That seems to tell me two things." Terri said, holding up a finger. "It tells me that the attacker is a human. I can't see any animal doing something like this. It seems too perfectly planned to have been done by an animal, especially considering the circumstances. Think about it. Can you imagine an animal coming up with a master plan to get revenge on humans it never met before?" The others shook their heads. Terri nodded. "Just as I thought. The second thing it tells me is that there may be more of a motivation than simply trying to prevent anyone from learning about the attack. The murderer may have been trying to recover the body, perhaps hide it somewhere. Did you find out if the initial body was missing, Ms. Moynihan?"

"No I did not." Moynihan said. "They didn't reveal that information yet."

"If the body is missing, then that supports my theory that the attacker's main goal was removing the body from the facility to hide it elsewhere." Terri said.

"The question is, if it's not Veloci doing this, then who would be doing such a terrible thing?" Rodger asked.

"Well knowing Veloci, despite the consequences, I wouldn't be surprised if he would do this." Caruso said bitterly and placed a hand on his left cheek. "I'll never forget what he did to me." The others nodded to him sympathetically. Memories of the horrible human bridle and Veloci's cruelty towards him were still deeply burned into his mind.

"What do you think we should do, Ms. M?" Max asked, gesturing towards the old woman.

Moynihan paused for a moment to think. She wasn't entirely sure herself of what they should do about the situation. She did think of having the kids investigate, but she didn't want to risk putting them in danger. What if whoever, or whatever, was responsible came back and killed them? She wouldn't be able to live with herself if that were the case.

Then again, she understood that not trying to find out information could be just as risky. It was possible the authorities wouldn't be able to figure out what it was in time; more bodies could be found by tomorrow for all she knew. Within a very short time frame, several bodies had already been slaughtered with no clue on who or what was responsible.

She looked back at Max, who was looking at her, waiting for an answer. Moynihan opened her mouth and shut it. She couldn't bring herself to give an answer, afraid of giving the wrong one. She sighed and looked away. "I..I don't know."

"You don't..know?" Max echoed as if he was wondering if he heard right. Moynihan answered by nodding her head once. Max sighed as well and leaned forward. "We can't have that kind of answer. We need a definitive answer. This isn't the kind of situation for indecisive answers."

"Yes I know that." Ms. Moynihan said, her voice slightly more stern.

"Then why can't you give us a straight answer?" Max asked, straightening himself up. "We'll stand by whatever decision you make."

"I think it's best we wait about a day or two and see if anymore details come forth." Moynihan said finally after being quiet for several moments. She made a quick adjust to her glasses, then frowned. "At this point, it's too much of a risk to send you kids out to investigate. It's too dangerous." Her frown softened and she closed her eyes. "I don't want to risk losing you kids again." There was a nod amongst the team; they understood what she was talking about. Moynihan looked back up at them. "Until I say otherwise, do not be running off anywhere. Once you leave school, either come straight here or go home right away. Do not do anything else. Do you understand me?"

"Yes we do." Max said. "Don't we guys?"

"Of course we do." Rodger said. The remaining teens nodded in agreement.

Ms. Moynihan smiled. "That's good."

Just then, a steady sound could be heard. It was soft, faint, yet still audible. It carried on in short intervals, repeating itself seemingly infinitely. This wasn't a sound they were unfamiliar with. In fact, they knew the sound very well. They looked at each other, and didn't bother to say anything. They immediately got up from their seats and headed up towards the top of the lighthouse and into the area where their monitoring equipment was. They gathered around a large radar screen.

Moynihan made her way over, gently pushing the students out of the way so she could have access to the radar. The screen was green with lighter green rings. Flashing on the screen, in a corner, was a small red dot. The radar was long range and it was in a less detailed view. With a press of a button, the screen transformed into a map of Maine, shaded in green. The red dot was located near the edge of Maine.

Moynihan looked over at the students. "The scanner's detected something. It's located near the tide pools, the same place where you kids got your powers."

"Why would Veloci want to do another experiment there?" Fiona said. "He usually doesn't repeat experiments in the exact same place."

Buzz looked at her. "That's not always true. Remember when he tricked us into going into that park with reappearing mutantsaurs and unleashed that robot on us?"

Fiona nodded. "Yes, that's true.." She rubbed a finger against her chin. "But it's still rare."

Moynihan looked back at the radar. She wasn't sure if this was even one of Veloci's experiments. She pressed a key to get details on what the scanner picked up. It wouldn't give her much, but she might be able to make something out from the readings. When the details came into view, she spent a few moments reading the information. Her eyes widened slightly.

There was something different about the readings. They didn't share any data she was familiar with with Veloci's experiments. The signature didn't even match that of a mutantsaur, yet the scanner still picked it up. That was unusual, but still troublesome. The only other thing that could set off the radar that wasn't a mutantsaur was a dinosaur. Could Veloci have perfected the primordial ooze? Had he created a perfect dinosaur of his own and sent it out to Maine?

"These signals are not what I would expect from a mutantsaur." She announced, realizing the students had gone quiet to await her input. She turned back to them. "Whatever this thing is, it's no mutantsaur."

"But..the only other thing that could set off the scanner would be..." Rodger started to say.

"A dinosaur." Michelle finished for him. "A perfect dinosaur."

Terri bit her lip. "Do you think it's possible that insane reptile has perfected that slimy ooze?"

Michelle closed her eyes. "I would not doubt it. I'm sure that, ever since he obtained DNA samples from the original five Dino Squad members, he had spent hours obsessively trying to perfect the ooze."

"It's already hard enough to de-ooze the animals. Now we have to worry about actual dinosaurs too?" Caruso said, spreading his arms out. "That's crazy!"

"Crazy but true." Michelle said, turning her head towards him. "Unless you can think of anything else that can set off the scanners."

"Maybe it's just Oscura?" Caruso suggested. "She has a perfect dinosaur form. So does Kista and Peter. Maybe Veloci sent one of them to the tide pools for some reason?"

"But what use would they have at the tide pools? There's not much there. Well there are some sea animals there, but he could easily sent his own men there rather than his dinosaur-transforming members." Max said thoughtfully.

Moynihan listened to the students as she tried to think of what to do. Now she was presented with a new situation. Just like before, she wasn't sure what she should have the kids do. This was in a field they were more familiar with, and yet not knowing exactly what was on the scanners made her feel uneasy about sending them out. It could be Peter, Oscura, or Kista; they would show up on the radar. But there was still a chance that it was a new perfect dinosaur. And since she was not interested in resurrecting dinosaurs, only Veloci could be responsible for it.

She finally made up her mind. "Get in the SUV. We're going down to the tide pools."

Max looked at her, surprised. "But I thought you said..."

"Yes I know what I said, and I understand your confusion." Moynihan replied. "However, we are not the police. They will handle the murder case for now. But we are the ones who deal with potentially dangerous situations Veloci conducts. We are the only ones who know how to handle this kind of situation. Whatever it is that's at the tide pools..." She looked at each of her students. "..we best get there before anyone else finds it. Who knows what could happen then."

___

The tide pools hadn't changed much since the last time they were there. The cliff side behind them hid the sun partially, allowing them to avoid the harsh glare easily so they can make out the terrain better. The sand was soft and squishy, something that was to be expected from an area that was right next to the water. Small waves gently splashed against what could be made out to be a beach. Out ahead, on the horizon, they could see the ocean. It seemed to go on forever. They could see bright reflections where the sun was shining.

The tide pools brought back memories. This was where they first got their dinosaur powers from primordial ooze that littered the area. While the water was long free of ooze, they still could pick out the spot where the ooze was. There was a device floating in the water where Rump was swimming by when he had stolen Caruso's jacket. If it weren't for that dog, they would have not gotten their dinosaur forms. Not everyone shared this same origin, however. Michelle was in a different part of the tide pool while Terri had gotten her powers by different means.

Moynihan, who had decided to come with in hopes of having a chance to protect her students in case of an attack, held a small scanner in her hands. Usually Rodger did, but she insisted on using it herself this time. She glanced at the screen, using the radar and the red dot to guide herself to the source. She pointed out ahead. "It's over there, behind that boulder."

In front of the group was a large, stiff-looking mass. It was in the shade, the darkness covering it entirely. Despite this, they could tell the boulder was unusually colored. The colors seem to shift more sharply and dramatically than in any boulder they know of. Oh well, they didn't need to worry about that. They needed to figure out what was setting off the radar. The group started to make their way towards the boulder.

Suddenly Rump, who had tagged along, ran forward towards the boulder, barking excitedly at the thing. He sniffed a few times, snarled, and barked some more, as if the boulder was somehow alive.

Fiona ran forward and grabbed Rump. "What's with you? It's just a big piece of rock."

It was Buzz who first noticed something was very wrong. He took a few steps back and pointed. "I hate to burst your bubble, Fiona, but that's no rock..."

Fiona looked back and didn't see anything at first. "What are you talking about?"

"I swear I saw it move." Buzz said.

"That's ridiculous! Boulders can't move!" Fiona frowned at Buzz like he was crazy and turned back to the boulder. She took a few steps toward it and patted it with one hand. "See? It's soft!" She realized what she just said. She looked back at the boulder with a shocked expression. "It's..soft..." She took a few steps back. The others ran up next to her, except Moynihan.

The old woman was looking at the boulder in disbelief. There was no way a boulder could be soft. Whatever the mass was, it was no boulder. She shouted, "Get away from there! Now!"

The students ran back as the boulder suddenly shifted, what appeared to be muscles flexing underneah its skin. It rose up from the ground on four muscular legs. A large head rose up into the air and a long tail swished from side to side. The boulder was actually some kind of animal.

"What is that..?" Buzz asked in a soft voice.

"It...it looks like a dinosaur..." Terri said as she looked the creature up and down. "But not any dinosaur I had ever heard of before."

The animal's head turned to look at them. The face was reptilian, looking similar to Moynihan and Veloci's velociraptor heads. Sharp teeth poked through from the top jaw. What looked like a mane went along the back of the animal's neck. The eyes glowed bright yellow, similar to their dinosaur forms. The animal seemed to realize it had company because it started to pivot its large body, which was easily larger than Moynihan and Veloci in their velociraptor forms.

It lowered its head as it stared at the group of humans standing before it, taking a few steps forward. As light shined on its body, it was clear it was not brown, but instead purple. A red blotch of coloring was noticeable on its chest. A strange X-shaped scar was on its left shoulder. It took a step forward and remained uncomfortably quiet.

"What should we do?" Buzz asked.

"We should try to de-ooze it. It's probably just a mutantsaur." Fiona said in a somewhat relieved tone. She had a chiller in her hands. She looked over at Max, who had the spiller. "Shall we?"

"Yes." Max responded.

He and Fiona took a few steps towards the strange animal. The creature stared back at them, tilting its head like it was curious as it looked at the odd equipment in their hands. It pulled its head back in surprise when the equipment was pointed at it, but it did not attack. Fiona sprayed the animal with the chiller, causing it to shiver uncontrollably. She looked over at Max and nodded. Max used the spiller to suck up the liquid that now covered the animal's body to remove the mutant DNA. Everyone waited for the animal to change back, but, to their shock, it didn't happen.

The animal, obviously annoyed at being sprayed, opened its jaws part way and hissed softly. It took a few steps closer to Max and Fiona, snapping its jaws a few times. The two teens immediately moved back to the group. The animal seemed satisfied and stopped its advancement. But it continued to growl softly and refused to run off.

"It didn't work..." Fiona murmured softly in disbelief.

"This is one strong patch of primordial ooze..." Max commented, not taking his eye of the animal. "How are we ever going to de-ooze this mutant?"

Just then, the animal did something nobody had expected it to do. It opened up its jaws and, instead of a hiss, growl, or roar, words came out of its mouth. "I am not a mutant." The voice was clearly feminine. "So don't call me that." No telekinesis, instead the animal spoke verbally.

The group was stunned. Even Moynihan didn't know what to say. They had never encountered a talking mutantsaur before, except for Cerulean, Moynihan's bird.

After an awkward silence, Max, who seemed to have worked up the courage to speak, said, "What else could you be, if not a mutantsaur?"

"That is none of your business." The creature said, her voice stern.

Rump, who had started barking since the animal had moved, ran forward towards the animal. The purple creature hissed at the dog. Rump barked and snapped at her, running around in circles around her as if he was trying to herd her. The purple animal was clearly not amused. She lifted up a four-clawed paw and struck down. Rump barely dodged.

Fiona, her eyes wide in horror, called out to him. "Rump! Get back here!"

Rump's ears twitched and he looked back at Fiona, but that was a smart move to make while standing within range of the strange animal. The dog suddenly felt himself be lifted up into the air, jaws holding him tightly. The creature held him up high, her jaw muscles tensing up as she began to crush the dog.

"Rump!" Fiona called out.


	5. Threat Named

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

The animal bit down harder, her teeth easily penetrating the dog's furry skin. Blood dripped from her jaws and stained the sandy ground. Rump whined painfully and attempted to bite the animal. But his head would not reach. In response to Rump's attempted attack, the animal began to slam her head against the ground, striking Rump with great force. A small pool of blood appeared on the ground. Rump let out a loud yelp.

Fiona started to rush towards the creature, shouting, "Leave him alone!"

Rump's whines slowly gave way to growls as his body began to glow. He rapidly grew in size. The creature was not expecting this and her eyes widened. The fully transformed Rump caused her to open her jaws wider. While holding the mutated dog was not too much of a problem for an animal her size, the dog's strength had increased and she was clearly having a more difficult time holding him.

Rump managed to clamp down on the purple creature's snout, causing her to release him. She brought a paw to her face and wiped at the blood now trickling down her snout. Almost a second later, she felt something solid slam against her, and she was thrown back several feet. She shook her head and looked up and found herself looking at the face of an enraged spinosaurus.

'Back off, you...whatever you're supposed to be!' Fiona opened her jaws and hissed loudly. Rump stood next to her, still in his mutantsaur form, barking at the strange, purple creature.

The animal simply stared at Fiona, showing no signs of feeling threatened. Not even the exposure of teeth caused her to react in a frightened manner. She merely put a paw on Fiona's snout without hesitation and pushed it downward so she was looking at Fiona in the eyes. "Trust me, you don't want to pick a fight with me. You'll only end up losing."

Fiona's eyes narrowed. 'How can you be so confident about that?'

The animal simply smiled. "I just know these things. So why don't you all do yourselves a favor and leave?"

Moynihan spoke up. "Fiona, get back here!"

Fiona turned her head towards Moynihan. 'But she...'

"No buts! We don't know anything about this creature." Moynihan explained. She took a few steps forward, but constantly kept a wary eye on the strange animal. "It's not wise to automatically start fights based on assumptions. I'm upset she attacked Rump too, but she only did that out of self defense. Let's get to know her and her species first before we try something we may regret."

Fiona seemed unsure. She looked over at the creature and back at Moynihan. She seemed to have difficulty deciding on what to do.

Max took a step forward. "Ms. Moynihan is right, Fiona. Let's try to give this...thing a chance before we fight her."

Fiona hissed softly and changed back into her human form. Rump transformed back as well as Fiona scooped him up into her arms. She was careful to avoid his injuries. She glared at Moynihan and Max. "I hope you two know what you're doing."

Max nodded. "I hope we do, too."

After seeing what happened, the other members of the squad took a fighting stance, except for Max and Moynihan. They weren't going to give the strange creature any opportunity to catch them off guard. The creature stared at them, tilted her head as though she were curious, but the same, calm expression was on her face. This didn't surprise any of them considering that she stared into the eyes of a spinosaurus without flinching.

"What should we do?" Michelle asked, flexing her fingers like she would if she were in dino mode. Her voice sounded tense. "That animal looks like she's a strong fighter."

Rodger said, "Don't attack unless Moynihan says otherwise."

"I don't trust that creature, though. She attacked Rump." Michelle looked at the blood on the ground and on Rump's fur.

Rodger turned to her. "That sounds familiar, don't you think?"

"Don't remind me." Michelle simply said. She looked over at Buzz and Terri. "What do you guys think?"

Buzz didn't bother turning his head, as if he were afraid by looking away the animal would suddenly attack. "I'm not sure if I want to give this creature a chance. She could be working for Veloci for all we know. She had to have been created by primordial ooze. There's no other way she could be here."

Terri glanced over at him. "But technically we all got our powers from primordial ooze. Doesn't that make us Veloci's creations?"

Buzz's expression softened. "Yeah, that's true. Still, there's just something about her personality that I don't like."

"Great minds think alike." Michelle commented in a soft, grumbling voice. She shook her head slowly. "I really hope Moynihan didn't just make a huge mistake by calling back Fiona like that."

"True, but she usually knows what she's doing, so I don't think we need to worry about that." Terri said, although she was still tense.

Moynihan approached the creature, but still kept a respectable distance from her. She wasn't entirely sure herself if she made the right choice or not. But she wasn't the type of person who would attack first, then ask questions. She wanted to give the creature the benefit of the doubt before she would label her an enemy. She would be no better than Veloci if she condemned someone so quickly.

She looked the creature up and down. It did look like a dinosaur, but none that she had ever seen before. In the back of her mind, she remembered details of the newly discovered dinosaur species. This creature seemed to fit the basic description, but how was that possible? The fossils found were millions of years old, but this animal was obviously still alive and couldn't have been alive for that long. Then again, she and Veloci were around for millions of years, so she couldn't completely dismiss that theory.

"Who are you?" She asked, hoping to get the animal in a better mood. The animal had hissed when she approached her.

Snorting, the purple animal said, "Why should I tell you anything, you old woman?" She licked her snout, cleaning up some of the blood that resulted from Fiona's assault. "Your students have already made their stand very clear. They don't want me here."

Moynihan nodded. "Yes, I understand that. But I'm sure we can work things out. Fiona was just protecting Rump, as I'm sure you were just protecting yourself. Can't we give each other a second chance? I'm sure we can get along just fine."

The purple animal still didn't seem too happy. She raised her head up high and said, "My boss wouldn't approve of that."

"Your boss?" Moynihan asked, perplexed.

The animal nodded. "He sent me out here to scout the terrain. He also wanted to me to keep an eye out for any...unusual activity."

"I knew it!" Buzz snapped, rushing forward. He stopped near Moynihan and pointed at the purple creature, who responded by snapping her jaws a few times. "I knew you worked for Veloci!"

Moynihan looked at Buzz, a shocked expression on her face. "Buzz!"

The creature briefly wore an expression of confusion, but it was soon replaced with that of amusement. She sat down on her haunches like a dog, reared up so that her front paws hung off the ground, and laughed. Her laughter intermingled with a growling sound, making her laugh sound more menacing. Buzz growled softly.

"Humans, you always like to jump to conclusions." The creature said after she had calmed down. She held a paw at her said, turned so that the bottom of her paw could be seen. She gestured with the paw in a similar manner as a human as she spoke. "But you never stop to think before you conclude something. What may appear to be one thing could perhaps be another. I can assure you I do not know this Veloci person you are speaking of, so stop jumping to conclusions." She got up, walked up to Buzz, and lowered her head so her face was close to his. "This includes you."

"Buzz." Moynihan said before the boy could react. "Step back. I'll handle her." Buzz did as he was told, but he didn't take his eyes off the purple creature.

"I do hope you know what you are doing, old woman." The purple creature said, a tiny hint of a smile on her jaws. "Making a mistake with my people can be...well let's say you never want to make a mistake with us."

Moynihan narrowed her eyes. "Why are you threatening me? I didn't do anything to you."

The purple creature tilted her head. "Threaten you? I did no such thing. I was simply warning you. It appears you and your students know nothing about my kind." She lowered her head. "It would be a shame if they learned the dire consequences the hard way." She exposed her teeth.

Instinctively, Moynihan's eyes started to glow. This was a characteristic that has become common since her ordeal with Veloci. She didn't attack, however, and instead remained where she was. "I will ask you again. Who are you?"

The creature smirked. "Do you think you can get my name that easily?"

"It's a simple question." Moynihan affirmed. "What harm would revealing your name be?"

"I'd lose my anonymity if I do. And I can't have that." The creature said.

Moynihan sighed. She figured she wasn't going to get a name out of the creature. "Well can you at least tell me the name of your species?"

The animal stood there for a few moments, her eyes closed as she seemed to think about the answer. She reopened her eyes. "I suppose that couldn't hurt. And if I don't tell you, I'm sure you humans are going to be scratching your heads trying to figure it out." She chuckled. "We call ourselves..alimons."

"Alimon? That's an unusual name." Rodger commented softly.

Caruso looked at him, smiling. "Says the guy who gives unusually long names to devices."

The creature, an alimon, lowered her head so it was at level with her back. Her tail swished from side to side. "We alimons are powerful predators. If you would like a live demonstration..." She licked her jaws. "I'd be happy to supply that."

Moynihan took a step back. "Why do you insist on being difficult? I'm trying to make nice with you, but you keep thwarting my attempts. We don't need to fight!"

The alimon blinked and lifted her head. She began to walk towards the old woman. She circled her constantly, like a vulture that found a dead animal. "Then it's very obvious you don't know how my boss is like. He wouldn't approve of me making nice to you." She lifted her tail and gently rubbed it against Moynihan's throat. She pushed gently, tilting the woman's head slightly upward. The alimon then turned her neck so her jaws were next to Moynihan's head. "In fact I would get punished for it."

Moynihan pushed the tail away. "Is that so?"

The alimon nodded her head. "Yes."

"And why is that?" Max had moved forward. "Why would your boss be upset by avoiding a conflict?"

The alimon turned to the boy. "Because my boss likes conflicts." She turned back to Moynihan. "He would rather I fight you than make friends with you."

"Why?" Moynihan exclaimed. "What can you accomplish by fighting me?"

The alimon smirked. "Power and control. That's what I can get out of it."

Suddenly, the alimon lunged forward, her paws held out in front of her. Moynihan had no time to react. She was pushed into the ground by the large, purple animal, hitting her back hard. Moynihan looked up as the alimon lifted a paw, its claws glinting in the light. Before the claws could hit their mark, a green, scaly arm shot up and held the paw up. The alimon pushed down harder, Moynihan barely able to keep the paw away from her head. In a few moments, Moynihan fully transformed into a velociraptor. Using her sickle claw, she managed to slash the underside of the alimon. As the creature took a few steps back, roaring in pain, she got back up onto her feet.

Moynihan snarled at the alimon, but hung back. 'I don't want to fight you.'

The alimon shook her head and roared. "That's funny, because I sure want to fight you!"

Just then, for the second time today, the alimon felt herself being knocked away. This time it wasn't Fiona. Instead Max, in tyrannosaurus form, had intervened. He stood protectively in front of Moynihan and let out a huge roar. But just like with Fiona, the alimon didn't seem fazed by Max's attempt to frighten her. As the others went into dino mode as well, the alimon still remained undeterred and unafraid. She simply looked at their forms with a smirk, as if she thought they were a bunch of weaklings.

"So you all want to play eh?" She chuckled. "Okay then, let's play!" With that, she dashed forward, mouth agape.

___

"Sir, there's unusual readings on the radar." One of Veloci's men said.

Veloci walked up to the man, looking interested. He and the other man stood in front of a large, red-shaded monitor screen. Red had always been Veloci's favorite color. He glanced up at the screen and saw flashing dots moving around, indicating an extensive amount of activity.

Veloci said, "Zoom in on the location."

The man typed a few commands into the computer. Almost instantly, the screen started to zoom in. The screen zoomed in onto Maine, which didn't surprise Veloci. As details came into view, it didn't take him long to recognize the signatures of the Dino Squad. It looked like they were in some kind of battle. Veloci scanned the screen to find the source of their attacker. He finally found it, and it wasn't what he was expecting. He had expected one of his mutantsaurs that might have gotten out this way. But instead he was looking at something completely different. The image the radar was showing him looked similar to the skeleton that Axel had showed him.

"How interesting..." Veloci said, smirking.

The man next to him glanced over. "What is, sir?"

"The creature appears to be of the same species that Dr. Axel showed me earlier. Seems some of these creatures managed to survive the extinction, much like Moynihan, Kista, and I. And it appears it has engaged in combat with the pesky Dino Squad." Veloci said, tapping his fingers together. He looked over at his subordinate. "Keep the screen on. I want to see how this ends."

"Yes, sir." The man replied. He walked away to perform one of his other chores.

As Veloci watched the spectacle before him, someone approached him from behind. They moved slowly, as if they were trying to mask their footsteps. The figure stopped behind Veloci. A hand was slowly raised, and it gently touched Veloci's shoulder. Without a reaction, Veloci turned his head to see Kista standing behind him, her usual smile on her face. He snarled and turned away from her.

"Now, now, is that any way to treat an old friend?" Kista said playfully, removing her hand. "Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were being callow."

Veloci ignored Kista's statement. "Why aren't you performing your task?"

Kista frowned slightly, folded her arms, and leaned slightly to one side. "I did as you asked, Dr. Veloci, but I couldn't find this Dr. Axel anywhere."

Veloci turned to her. "Are you sure? By now she should be back at that museum."

"I just came from there. None of the employees had seen her return. They said they were used to it. Apparently the only reason they hadn't fired the rubicund reticule is because she still does a good job while she's there and always leaves behind notes of her findings." Kista said to Veloci. "Where she goes, they don't know, though I personally think she just has a second job. Probably needs the extra cash."

Veloci sighed. It seems he will have to wait before talking with Axel again. He had wanted to talk to her since he found out about the brutal murders. Before the radar confirmed that some of the strange creatures were still alive, he suspected the attacks may have been committed by one of these new dinosaurs. He wanted to talk to Axel about it and get her input. But that'll have to wait now.

Kista apparently noticed what was going on the screen. "The Dino Squad biting off more than they can chew?"

"I'm sure whatever is fighting them will do more than that." Veloci said.

Kista smirked. "Are you sure about that? The Dino Squad aren't as torpid as you may think, Veloci. Do not forget we had them captured and they nearly died, but they managed to beat us in the end."

Veloci growled. "That was only because that traitorous Michelle freed them."

"True, she did play apart." Kista said, taking a step closer. "But it's likely those children would have escaped anyway, somehow. How? I'm not sure. But I'm not about to dismiss the theory."

Veloci briefly thought about responding, but kept quiet. He wanted to focus more on the fight. He was amazed at how fast the creature moved. It seemed to be able to dodge attacks easily. It was still struck down several times, but it seemed to land more blows than the Dino Squad could. And what amazed him more is that it was taking them all on by itself. One against nine; unfair odds yet the creature was standing its ground.

"Kista." He said without looking away from the monitor. "Head down to Maine, to the tide pools where I dispatched my first primordial ooze that utilized Peter's nanomachines."

Kista said, "Whatever for? You want me to fight the Dino Squad too?"

Veloci shook his head. "Do not engage them. I just want you to observe, and see if you can capture that creature."

"All right then." Kista turned and walked away.

Veloci turned back to her and called out, "And hurry it up! There's no telling how long this battle will last!" Kista disappeared into the nearby elevator. Veloci turned back to the screen, watching to see what was going to happen next.


	6. Seeking Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

None of them had been anticipating a fight to this extreme. They had never faced a mutantsaur that gave them this much trouble. They rarely encountered a mutantsaur that wanted to go this far to fight them. But now, here they are facing off against some creature who wanted really wanted to fight them. Not only that, but the creature did not have a very valid reason to want to fight them. The only reasons she gave were power and control; perhaps fun was also a possible reason.

They had seriously misjudged her capabilities. They thought that, with so many dino-morphers available, they could easily take her on. But this alimon creature clearly had experience fighting against large groups and knew what she was doing. She had a good reaction time and seemed to learn quickly. This quick wit of hers seemed to be her greatest asset in the fight.

The Dino Squad didn't understand why it was so hard to defeat her, even given her experience. They needed only to bite her or step on her and they could do serious, if not irreversible damage. But the alimon never gave them a chance to deal such damage. She usually found some method to get her out of harm's way if one of them got too close.

The opposite seemed to be true for the team. They were having a difficult time attacking the alimon. She seemed to know when to dodge and where. Granted, they were able to strike her several times, but not one of them did enough damage to disable her. While she hasn't done serious damage to them yet, they had a feeling that she could do far worse if she wanted to.

Rodger, in styracosaurus form, charged forward, his head lowered. The alimon was right in front of him, staring as he got closer. At the last second, she leaped into the air, landed on his back, and jumped off again. Startled, Rodger nearly tripped over his feet trying to stop charging. He looked over just as the alimon bit down on his snout. Rodger bellowed in pain and the alimon released her grip and jumped back, smirking arrogantly.

From behind her, Caruso, in stegosaurus form, kicked up dirt and snorted. He charged towards the alimon, baring his teeth. When he got close enough, he turned to his side and swung his tail on the ground. The alimon managed to jump in the air to avoid the attack. Thinking fast, however, Caruso struck with his tail again while the alimon was still the air. Unable to avoid the tail, the alimon screeched as the tail slammed against her and knocked her several feet across the sandy ground.

Having recovered from the attack, Rodger charged her again. Unlike before, he managed to strike her this time. He thrust his head upwards, tossing her up in the air. She came crashing down a little ways to the side. She landed on her back and lay prone on the ground for several seconds.

Buzz, pteranodon form, swooped in, his talons brought forward as he prepared to attack the creature's underside. But he had miscalculated how long the alimon would remain still. When he got too close, the alimon grabbed him with a front paw, which obviously functioned like a hand. Buzz flapped his wings frantically to try to get away, but the alimon pulled him down onto the ground, his underside exposed. She opened her jaws and bit down onto his chest. Buzz let out a screech of pain.

She lifted him up off the ground, shook him a few times, and tossed him away. She then leaped onto his body and bit down on his wings, clearly intending on breaking them. But before she could bite down hard enough, Terri, who was currently in baryonyx form, snagged the alimon in her long jaws and tossed her aside. When the alimon crashed into the ground, she almost immediately felt the weight of Michelle on her back and roared as Michelle, in guanlong form, bit down into the back of her neck. Michelle dug her claws into the alimon's skin, hoping to keep herself from falling off.

The alimon violently shook her body from side to side, hoping to knock Michelle off with her body weight. When that didn't work, she did something else that Michelle hadn't anticipated. The alimon reared up and fell down onto her back. The combined gravity and weight of her fall stunned Michelle, causing her to release her grip. The alimon got off and looked down at the girl, who was still stunned from the unexpected blow. Smirking, the alimon seized her by the head and threw her into the cliff face. She then turned her attention back to Buzz.

Terri had positioned herself between Buzz and the alimon, She brandished her large sickle claws that were located on her hand and hissed loudly at the alimon. But the alimon still wasn't fazed. She simply looked up at the baryonyx and smirked again. She charged for Terri, who responded by dashing towards her as well. The alimon tried to move to the side, but Terri struck down with her hand, her sickle claw slicing into the alimon's side. The alimon recovered form the blow and hissed. She turned and dashed towards Terri and bit into her leg, causing Terri to fall onto her side. The alimon walked up to her, jaws snapping with ferocity.

Just then, she felt someone else jump on her back. She turned her head and, in the corner of her eye, she could see Moynihan, biting down on the back of her shoulder. She attempted to repeat what she did with Michelle with this velociraptor. But Moynihan already grown wise to that tactice. As the alimon slammed into the ground, she quickly changed positions so that she ended up standing on the alimon's stomach and chest. The alimon was clearly not expecting this and didn't react in time to keep Moynihan from biting her neck. She lifted her off the ground, spun her once, and released her, causing the creature to slam into the ground.

The alimon started to chuckle as she got back onto her feet. "Not bad..not bad at all." She wiped the blood that now dripped from her mouth. "I admit, I'm somewhat impressed. Just a shame I'll ultimately be forced to kill you."

Moynihan's eyes widened. 'Why would you want to kills us?'

The alimon picked between her teeth with a claw. "It is not a decision I made. It was chosen for me. That is how my boss is."

'You don't need to listen to him, you know.' Moynihan told her.

The alimon chuckled. "Again you don't know how our leader is, old woman. I may not know Veloci, but, judging from what I'm seeing here, how you all fight, it's clear to me that he's not as big of a threat as my boss is. He'd tear this Veloci person apart."

'Impossible!' Max declared, walking up to the alimon. 'Veloci has countless men and resources at his disposal. Exactly how do you think your boss would be able to defeat him?'

The alimon said, "If this Veloci person was as dangerous as you apparently think he is, then your fighting would have shown it. So either he's just as weak as you are, or you rarely fought him. Either way, it doesn't matter. With the way you all fight, you wouldn't last ten minutes against my boss."

Fiona roared in anger. 'You don't know that!'

"Oh? Don't I?" The alimon looked up at Fiona. "Then why don't you show me?"

Fiona's eyes narrowed. 'Gladly...' With that, she ran towards the alimon with her jaws split open.

The alimon chuckled as she easily dodged the attack. "Too predictable."

Suddenly she felt the massive jaws of Max slam down onto her and lift her into the air. 'How's this for predictable?' He said to her as he threw her towards Fiona.

'Be careful of who you misjudge.' Fiona said as she turned to her side and used her tail to swat the alimon into the ground. 'You may live to regret it.'

The alimon got up onto her feet almost as quickly as she fell. She glared at Max and Fiona, roaring loudly. She was about to say something when something apparently got her attention. They hadn't noticed it before, but the alimon was wearing a thin collar of some kind and it was now flashing. The alimon glanced down at the flashing collar and all aggressiveness vanished from her. She looked at the Dino Squad with a calm face.

"Looks like I must depart know." She said as she turned around and began to walk away. "So long!"

'Wait!' Moynihan shouted, moving forward quickly. But it was too late. The alimon had already vanished from sight. She shook her head slowly. 'Such a misguided creature she is. She reminds me so much of Veloci.'

Buzz, who was still in pain from the alimon's attack, managed to climb onto his feet and let out a soft hissing sound. 'Do you think we should go after her?'

'What for?' Michelle turned to Buzz. 'We should consider ourselves lucky if we never see one of those things again.'

'I wouldn't mind not seeing her again.' Terri said as she limped forward a few steps. Her ankle had been torn pretty badly, but it wasn't life-threatening.

'Terri, will you be all right?' Fiona asked as she walked up to her sister. She eyed the leg worriedly.

'Yes, I'll be fine.' Terri took another step forward, and yelped in pain. 'Though I may need a bit of help.'

Moynihan continued to glance in the direction the alimon left. She felt it was a shame that the alimon had chosen this sort of path in her life, that she had a boss that would want her to attack first rather than befriend. She wondered if they were going to run into her again, or even another of these alimons. She wasn't sure if their next encounter will be this terrible, but, deep inside her, she hoped that not all the alimons were like this one. She hoped the next one they meet would at least listen to reason.

Seeing no further reason to remain in the area, she shifted back into human form and turned to her team. "Let's head back to the lighthouse."

___

Kista arrived on the scene about an hour or two later. She had arrived by helicopter. She stepped out of the copter and signaled to the subordinate to wait for her as she went to investigate. She walked out onto the tide pools, looking left to right to see if she could find any sign of the Dino Squad or the strange creature. She kept her distance just in case they were still there. Veloci had ordered her not to fight the team.

But as she ventured in closer, she realized that she had arrived onto the scene too late. There were no signs of the Dino Squad or the animal they had been fighting. The scene was abandoned and empty, but she could still tell what went on based on the blood stains and the markings left in the dirt.

There had apparently been some battle here, but she already knew that due to the radar system back in Raptor Dyne. She could see foot prints, both normal and ones that appear off, as though they skidded or tripped over themselves. She could see signs of bodies that crashed into the ground. She could see many blood marks soaking into the ground. The battle hadn't lasted too long, but it was still rather intense.

Judging from the tracks, it appears the alimon had fled the scene. Why, she couldn't tell. Either the creature had enough of fighting them, or the Dino Squad defeated it. She scratched her chin thoughtfully as she pondered over what had happened. She started to wonder what caused the fight to begin with. Was this creature the initial attacker or did the Dino Squad attack first? The second idea seemed preposterous. The Dino Squad weren't usually the type to attack first.

Kista chuckled as she thought how Veloci was going to react to the news. She had a feeling he was going to overreact as usual. Even if she told him she went as fast as she could, he'd probably still be upset. But he wouldn't punish her for it, she knew that. Veloci would likely punish the subordinate that had been driving the helicopter, reprimanding him for not going fast enough. If that were to happen, she would be sure to defend him. After all, it wasn't the subordinate's fault the fight didn't last as long as Veloci had hoped.

She turned around and headed back to the helicopter. She climbed back in. "It's too late. They already left. Take me back to Raptor Dyne." The man obliged and the helicopter rose back into the air and road off back to Boston.

As the helicopter drove off, on a hill further away from the tide pools, the same alimon the Dino Squad fought before had her head tilted upward, her eyes glued on the copter. "Looks like I chose a good time to leave."

"You mean I chose a good time to get you out of there." Said a voice close to her. The voice belonged to a male alimon, characterized by long, blade-like feathers sticking out the back of his neck. The alimon was dark gray with a dark brown underside. "Had you continued to fight those strangers, that copter would have arrived and I'm sure whatever human that was on board would have tranquilized you and taken you off to some lab."

The female alimon simply shrugged her shoulders. She turned away from the copter and began to walk again. "At least I got out of there; that's all that matters. And they didn't get my name either."

The male looked at her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "That isn't the only thing that matters. They didn't get any of your blood, did they?"

The female blinked. "Other than what they spilled in the fight. What do you expect, Gris? They managed to get some good blows on me."

The male, Gris, snarled. "You know the boss isn't going to like this."

"I'm well aware of that." The female said. "But what do you want me to do? Go back in time or something?"

Gris shook his head. "Let's just head back to the headquarters. Our boss is waiting there for us. He has some important news he would like to give us. Best not keep him waiting." The two alimons broke into a run.

___

Peter was packing a few things as he prepared to make his journey to a nearby museum. He had recently been told by Zoom that he was to steal some mammalian fossils for testing. He never pulled a heist like this before, but with the right tools, he might be able to do it. In the large bag in front of him, he packed any equipment he felt he may need just in case, which included a gun, a tazer, and a couple of nets. He zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

He walked out of the room and headed down the hallway. Before he got too far, he nearly had a run-in with Ryan. He took a few steps back, eyeing the man angrily. Ryan was carrying a large box, likely filled with newly created weapons. "Keep an eye on where you are going!"

Ryan hissed, adjusting the box in his hands. "Kind of hard to do that when I can barely see!"

"Then you should be more careful." Peter said. "It is not impossible for you to lower the box so you can see better. Anyway, be on your way."

"Who are you to give me orders?" Ryan growled.

Peter stepped up close to him, his eyes glowing. "Veloci gave me a much higher rank than you, Ryan. I have the authority to tell you what to do. And if you don't do what I say, I can report you directly to Veloci. Now do you want that?"

Ryan shook his head. "No, sir."

"Good. Now get going." Peter said. He watched Ryan move forward slowly at first, then pick up speed once he had gotten behind him. He knew Ryan was afraid of him. Both Ryan and Zoom were scared of mutantsaurs and morphers after what had happened to them.

But he wasn't interested in dwelling on that now. He continued to make his way down the corridor to get on the helicopter he knew was waiting for him. It didn't take him long to find the copter and climb into it. As the helicopter began to take off for their destination, he started to think about what he would do once he arrived at the museum. But that wasn't the question that was bugging him the most. What was really driving him nuts was what Veloci wanted with the mammalian bones. He knows he wants to use them for a test, but he couldn't think of what kind of test Veloci would want to do on mammalian bones.

That question would have to wait until later, though. Right now, he needed to focus on actually getting the fossils. And for him and his apatosaurus form, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

___

The subordinate cringed as Veloci towered over him, an enraged look on his face. He took a few steps back, lowering his head in the presence of his boss.

"What do you mean you were too late?" Veloci snarled as he moved in even closer to the trembling man. He was struggling to keep his claws from popping out.

"W-Well, you see, s-sir.." The man stammered. "..I-I-I went as fast I could..."

"And you didn't go fast enough! Stupid humans, it's always something!" Veloci hissed as he forced himself to turn away from the man. He walked up to the monitor he had been watching before. Not too long ago, it was full of activity. Now it was blank with nothing registering on it. He clenched his fist tightly. "We were so close to obtaining one of those strange animals. If it wasn't for you and your idiocy....!"

Kista shook her head disapprovingly. "Now there, Veloci, he did the best he could. You cannot expect any more from him."

Veloci turned to Kista. "I expect perfection, and nothing less!" He turned back to the radar and pressed a button to zoom out. He was hoping he would find more signals of the creature so he could track it again. Eventually he found not one but two unusual signatures, one belonging to the same animal and another, apparently a member of the same species. The two dots were moving across the screen, heading towards some undesignated location. "The creatures made considerable distance already. Interesting." He commented. He turned back to Kista.

"I have another mission for you, Kista. Go find the Dino Squad." Veloci said. "Get them to tell you what they know about this creature and report back to me. I recommend going after just one of those little brats so they won't give you as much trouble."

"Another mission? Oh all right, if you insist." Kista said in an almost playful tone. She gave a sideways glance to the still trembling man. "Just promise me you won't promenade the poor man."

Veloci growled. "Just get moving!"

Kista rolled her eyes. "All right, all right, sheesh!"

But just as she turned to walk away, Veloci called out, "On second thought..I'll send someone else instead. This seems to be the kind of job that's perfect for Oscura. Where is your adopted daughter anyway?"

Kista said, "I'm not sure. She's probably off pendulating somewhere in Raptor Dyne. You know how she is."

"Well go find her." Veloci pointed his finger at her. "I want her to set out on the mission tonight!"

"As you wish, sir." Kista said in a somewhat mocking tone. She had quickly disappeared into a corridor before Veloci could give a retort.

___

The Dino Squad were back at the lighthouse. They had each been treated by Moynihan, who cleaned and bandaged their wounds. She commented that the wounds weren't as bad as they appeared, and that they could have been a lot worse. Moynihan suffered from several injuries herself, which she cleaned and covered up shortly before she had started to treat the children. Rump also needed to be treated. He was harder to do. Fiona had to hold the dog still for her to apply the medication and bandages properly.

"So you believe this alimon creature was the same creature that was recently discovered?" Max asked. "It seems really hard to believe..."

"Yet I'm a velociraptor that's millions of years old, and you believe that, don't you?" Moynihan said, a small smile on her face.

Terri rubbed her now bandaged ankle. The leg was slightly swollen from the bite. "I'm just hoping we never run into another one again."

"But we'll never figure out all the answers if we avoid them." Max said.

"Are you saying we should pursue them?" Michelle asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, but should we run into one of them again, we should try talking to them." Max responded.

Buzz looked at him in shock. "Are you nuts? Ms. M tried to talk to the alimon and look at what that alimon creature did! What makes you think any other alimon would be in a talking mood?"

"Buzz has a point." Rodger said. "There's no guarantee that any other alimon we encounter will be any different. We should keep on our guard."

Many of the others nodded their heads in agreement. After what happened today, most of them didn't want to go near another alimon for a long time. They had seriously underestimated the animal's fighting ability. They were lucky they got out with non-fatal injuries. As Moynihan told them, it could have been a lot worse. They didn't think they should take any chances with future encounters. Until they could figure out a safe way to obtain data on the creatures and be able to plan accordingly, they hoped they could avoid any more unexpected encounters with the strange creatures.


	7. The Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

"There's also no guarantee that the next alimon we meet will be a vicious one. We should give them the benefit of the doubt." Max pointed out.

Rodger looked at Max. "But you heard that alimon. We can't make a mistake with her species." He looked down at his hands as he seemed lost in his thoughts. "I really don't want to make a mistake..."

Moynihan said, "Yet as Max already pointed out, if we never meet another alimon, we won't ever learn anything about them. I know that you kids are sore from our recent battle with one, but we shouldn't allow ourselves to judge these creatures so harshly based on the behavior of one."

Terri glanced up slowly. "I suppose you're right. I mean, I made that mistake with Rodger and Buzz. But after getting to know them, everything I thought I knew about them, I realized was wrong."

Buzz smiled at her. "Oh yes. If I recall, before you got to know me, you used to call me Buzzard." He and Terri chuckled for a few seconds at that remark.

Moynihan tried to say something, but she accidentally hit the remote with her elbow. The remote fell to the ground. "Oops." She muttered as she lowered herself to pick it up. As she set it back down, she noticed the television had turned on.

A news reporter was on the screen, looking rather solemn. His eyes were slightly downcast and he held a mic close to his head. The background depicted the telltale signs of red flashing lights. An ambulance was parked behind the news reporter. A stretcher could be seen, carrying away a completely covered body, likely presumed to be dead.

"There has been another murder. Like with the previous murders, the body has not been identified yet. The body was found in the same park as the first victim was found and shows very similar injuries. The police still haven't identified the killer, but many experts agree the attacker is not human. As for what animal could be responsible, they cannot say for sure yet, except that it was most likely a black bear. As a precaution, rangers plan on finding the black bear they think is responsible for the attacks and shooting it. Until this matter is settled, we strongly encourage you to remain at home unless you absolutely have to leave."

There was a strange sound. The news reporter turned, and his eyes widened slightly. But before anything could happen, the camera was shut off, cutting the signal. The television screen then displayed two people sitting next to each other, a man and a woman. They looked confused at first, then shrugged their shoulders, stating it was just a technical problem. They switched to another bit of news.

"An animal?" Max repeated softly. He looked over at Moynihan. "Do you think an animal was responsible?"

"Could be. Animal attacks are not unheard. But considering the attack that occurred at that facility, I don't think an animal could have planned that." Moynihan said, frowning softly.

Rodger nodded. "That attack seemed to hint a human killer."

"But which is it? It can't be both." Terri said. She looked at the others. "..can it?"

Then they each had the same thought in their minds. There was a way for the killer to have the intelligence of a human but leave attacks that would lead people to believe it was an animal. And that way was if it was a human that could turn into an animal. They knew a few people like that besides themselves, four to be exact. Any of those four could be likely candidates, though there was only one of those four they felt was most likely responsible due to past experience.

"Do you think Oscura did it?" Fiona said.

"I would not put it past her. The girl's sadistic." Michelle said in a somewhat bitter tone. "She's tried to have me killed many times before."

Buzz stood up. "Then we should go after her and interrogate her."

Michelle looked over at him, smiling faintly. "You mean like how you interrogated me?" Buzz flinched slightly at that comment. "Besides, that may not be a good idea. She has a poisonous bite, and plus she isn't one to talk so easily. She could give us false information to mislead us."

"Michelle's right. Oscura isn't trustworthy enough to interrogate." Max explained, leaning forward slightly. He clasped his hands together in a thoughtful manner. "If we are going to get information from her, we need a different approach."

___

"Oh really?" Oscura said excitedly as she looked at Kista.

"Yes, really." Kista said, smirking slightly.

It had taken her a while, but Kista managed to locate Oscura. She was off in a different section of Raptor Dyne, giving Zoom a hard ime. She liked to mess with Zoom and Ryan, especially knowing that they were fearful of dinosaurs and mutantsaurs. Kista had stopped Oscura before she could continue her intimidation on Zoom. The man, upon seeing Kista, immediately fled down the hallway.

Oscura was at first angry at the woman had interrupted her fun. But as soon as she heard the news on her new assignment, she got very happy and eager. It had been a while since she was on a mission she enjoyed. And this mission involved getting close to the Dino Squad. She wanted another attempt at revenge against them. Her last attempt not only failed; it granted them a new morphing member.

"But remember, you are just interrogating them. Dr. Veloci is currently interested in the strange animal they were fighting. So don't get carried away." Kista warned the teenager, but knew she was probably not going to listen. "Once you get the information, just leave. Don't stick around long enough for them to try to stop you."

"Stop me? That's a laugh!" Oscura chortled.

Kista narrowed her eyes. "They were able to stop you before, you little lout. Or need I remind you of your failed attempt at revenge? As I recall, Dr. Veloci was not very pleased with you." Oscura didn't answer, just gritting her teeth in rage. Kista smiled triumphantly. "That's what I thought."

Not wanting to listen to more of Kista talking, Oscura immediately headed down the hallway. Kista watched her as the girl disappeared down the corridor. She smiled and shook her head. She had recently taken Oscura in for reasons she didn't reveal. Managing the girl wasn't always easy, but she was doing okay. Oscura hated having to listen to her and often would only oblige if she wanted to please Veloci. Kista was well aware of Oscura's small crush on the man and used that to her advantage.

"Well I best return to my work." She said to herself. She turned around and walked away.

___

Oscura was in a weapons room deep in Raptor Dyne. She hadn't stuck around long enough for Kista to tell her if she was allowed to bring weapons or not, but she didn't care. The last time she tried for revenge, she made the mistake of not bringing any weapons. This time, she will not make that same mistake.

She rummaged through the equipment, trying to find one particular weapon. She finally found it and picked it up. The weapon was bright orange in color with a front piece shaped like the head of an ankylosaurus. It was a relatively new weapon Veloci had developed, which he called the knocker. The weapon may have had a strange name, but its name deceived its functionality. The weapon was designed to knock out whoever it was shot at, regardless of size or species.

Oscura smirked. "This weapon hasn't been tested yet, at least not on live humans or dinosaurs." She stroked the top of the weapon. "Until now that is."

She pushed the weapon into her pocket. Much of it still stuck out, but she didn't mind. She was about to leave when she saw something else that would be handy: rope. She walked over to a corner of the small room and grabbed some rope. She intended on using the rope to tie up whoever she managed to catch and interrogate them. The type of rope she had selected was no ordinary rope; it was electrified, must like the bridle Caruso was forced to wear. She smiled as she thought about her would-be victim writhing in pain from the electrical rope.

The one person she hoped she would come across was Michelle. She still had a score to settle with that girl. She was going to make sure that Michelle pay for her past treachery. While she would rather kill her, she wouldn't mind simply torturing her. Of course, she also wouldn't mind getting her claws into any other member of the Dino Squad.

Once she was finished gathering all the rope she felt she would need, Oscura went towards the open door and shut the door behind her. She then started to make her way down the corridor towards the elevator. An evil smile was on her face as the doors closed.

___

Terri and Fiona, along with the others, were riding their motorbikes back towards their house. The Dino Squad and Moynihan were unable to agree on what course of action to take regarding Oscura, so it was decided that the plan to get information from her would be put on hold until further notice. Some were disappointed in this decision while the rest were glad they didn't have to see Oscura's face again.

Terri was especially glad. She had developed a near unhealthy fear and hatred for the teenager for what she tried to do to her in the past. Yet at the same time she was almost grateful. Had it not been for that encounter, she wouldn't have gained her dinosaur form and baryonyx-style motorbike.

Still, even that wasn't enough to offset the horrors she went through in her first and, hopefully, last encounter with Oscura. As she recalled the details, her eyes narrowed and her motorbike slightly slowed down in speed. Fiona noticed this and slowed down as well. She glanced over at Terri briefly before returning her eyes on the road. She couldn't see the girl's face due to their helmets, but she could still tell something was wrong.

"Terri, what's wrong?" After not getting a response, Fiona took a guess at what Terri was thinking about. "Are you thinking about what Oscura did to you?" She looked over briefly to see Terri give a slight nod. "Terri, you aren't doing yourself a favor by thinking about that. Besides, if you run into Oscura again, you'll be better prepared. You have a dinosaur form now. You aren't as defenseless as you were back then."

"Yes, but I'll never forget what she said to me." Terri said, sighing softly. "Just like how Caruso will never forget how Veloci tortured him."

Caruso, who was close behind Terri, narrowed his eyes. "That's quite true."

The remaining members were following close behind as well. They didn't live too far from each other so they often took the same route until their paths diverged. The only person not with them was Michelle, who had moved in with Moynihan and lived at the lighthouse.

"Look, let's not dwell on this topic too long." Max said. "Moynihan said we can continue discussing it tomorrow."

The others nodded in acknowledgment.

"Maybe this whole ordeal will fix itself by tomorrow?" Buzz said hopefully. After a long pause without an answer, he chuckled nervously. "Hey you can't blame a guy for trying."

"We all wish for this ordeal to be over, Buzz. But I'm afraid that's not going to happen." Rodger said.

"Yeah. The murders are just going to continue." Caruso said.

Fiona said, "And, until more information is figured out, they are just going to keep happening..." She slightly tightened her grip on her bike's handlebars. "...as much as we would like them to stop."

Hoping to get a change of subject, Rodger said, "Do you think we can convince Moynihan to let us play a game in dino mode like we did with dinosaur hockey?"

Max blinked. "Like what?"

Rodger shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm not sure. But I do enjoy dinosaur hockey. A shame it's still many months before winter."

Caruso smiled at the thought. "Yes. I would like a rematch against Michelle. She owes me for making me look like a stegosaurus snowman." The others laughed at his comment.

___

Gris and the purple female made their way through rocky, dirty tunnels. They had been walking for quite a while, but they finally reached their destination. The tunnels suddenly expanded out into a large opening, revealing a large room. Stalagmites and stalactites filled the cave and several other tunnel openings could be seen. Near the rear of the cave there was a rock formation, high above everything else. Sitting on top of it were a group of alimons, their bodies hidden in the shadows.

The two alimons made their way towards this formation. To either side of them were other alimons, each of their own unique pattern and a multitude of different colors. Some were growling, others were curious, and others were gnawing on bones. One thing they all had in common was on one shoulder, usually the left one, they had a distinctive scar, looking like two claws crossing over one another in the shape of an X.

When they got close enough, Gris called out, "I did what you asked of me! Violet has returned and she has encountered the team who called themselves the Dino Squad!"

A male alimon peered over the rock formation. The only features clearly visible were his red glowing eyes and skin that appeared dark blue. "You mean that team of dinosaur-morphing adolescent humans we found out about some time ago? You encountered them?"

The purple female, Violet, nodded in confirmation. "Yes, sir, I did. I was scouting the area like you wanted me to, and I ran into them, all of them."

The male alimon's eyes widened slightly. "You didn't tell them anything, did you? It is crucial we remain anonymous to these...creatures until we are prepared."

Violet nodded her head. "The only thing they got out of me is our species' names. But don't worry, they are still clueless to our plans. And besides.." She flexed her claws. "..they aren't that much of a threat. They fight like weaklings. It has become apparent to me that their own enemy, Veloci, is either weak himself, or they just don't fight him enough. Just one of us could handle the lot of them at this time."

This news caused a slight stir amongst the alimons in the group. Many had started chatting with one another, some arguing about what course of action to take. They immediately stopped when the male who was talking before stomped his foot down. He glared at the alimons below him. Once they had settled down, he turned back to Violet. "And are you sure they didn't follow you?"

Violet scratched her side with her hind leg before she continued. "Yes I am quite positive of that. If they had tried, I would have noticed."

The male was about to say something when he was suddenly pushed aside by another male. The dark-colored male snarled in annoyance but still lowered his head in respect with the new alimon, who appeared to be white in coloration, but it was hard to tell with the shadows covering them. The light-colored male spoke up. "For now we will not engage the Dino Squad. But if they do so much as step in our way, we will deal with them."

___

Later, as night started to fall, Terri had left the house on her motorbike with Michelle. Michelle had come over to her house and told her that Moynihan was in need of a certain computer piece, but she didn't know what it looked like. She wasn't an expert on computer parts, so she felt Terri was the best person to ask. Terri wasn't happy about going out again, but she obliged.

The two were riding side by side on the road. They were heading towards the local hardware store, which wasn't too far. They could get there faster if they took a back way, but they decided, for now, it was safer to use the main route. The fact it was night was another factor in them wanting to stay away from back roads. It would be harder for them to detect any danger.

They soon arrived at the hardware store. But unfortunately for them, it appeared to be closed. The lights were completely out and when they tested the door, they found it to be locked.

"How frustrating to come all the way here only to find it's closed." Michelle muttered. "I guess Moynihan will have to wait until tomorrow to get the parts."

Terri looked over at her. "Yeah, unfortunately. The store will be open early tomorrow, though. So just come by my house tomorrow and we'll come back."

They were about to turn around when something slammed into the ground next to them. It was a bright blue flash and they barely had time to react. Before they could look over at the source, another blast came, knocking both off their bikes. Although scraped and sore, they were overall okay, minus the injuries they already suffered from the alimon attack. They looked over at their attacker.

Oscura, smirking, stepped from the shadows, holding the knocker in her hands. "Well, well, well, ain't this my lucky day?"

"Oscura!" Terri gasped.

"What are you doing here?" Michelle asked through clenched teeth.

Oscura laughed. "Dr. Veloci wants information from the Dino Squad." She raised the knocker again, leveling it so she could shoot it again. "And you two are going to provide that information."

Michelle took a step forward, adopting a fighting stance. "You're crazy if you think we will tell you anything!"

Hesitant at first, Terri took a step forward as well. "Yeah!"

Oscura simply smirked. She looked over at Terri. She licked her lips as she said, "Standing up to me now, are you? Did you forget our last encounter? You were so easy to take down." Terri growled at her.

"That's not proof of anything!" Michelle said angrily. "If anything, that just proves you're a coward by taking on someone who couldn't morph!"

"It's called asserting dominance." Oscura said casually, gesturing with her hand. "It was just too easy doing that with your friend there." She licked her lips again as if she had just seen food she was craving to eat.

"I won't let you do that again!" Terri said, though she took a step back. Despite efforts to stop it, she felt her mind go into a flashback, recalling what had happened to her not too long ago.


	8. A Recollection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

*Past*:

Terri was walking along the sidewalk, walking past several houses that were somewhat close together. She was on her way to a friend's house. Her friend wanted her to hang out because she wanted to show her something she had just gotten for her birthday. Terri didn't know what it was, but she'll find out once she got there.

The sun was brightly lit and hung overhead. Terri could feel the warmth of the sun mixing in with the chill of the day. It was a bit cold today, but not enough to make her wear a jacket. She wouldn't need to worry about it for too long, though. Her friend's house, by now, was only a couple blocks down the road. She would arrive in the next ten minutes.

Just then, she heard a sound as she was about pass another house. She looked over towards the source of the sound. It came again. Whatever it was, it was coming from between the two houses. She thought briefly of going in to investigate, but thought better of it. It was probably just some stray animal that was roaming around or something. She shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't something she needed to concern herself with. She started to make her way past the alleyway.

Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth before she could scream. She was swiftly yanked into the alleyway, the shadows enveloping her. Terri struggled against her attacker, kicking and slapping whenever she could, but the attacker was relentless. The attacker was pulling her onto the hard ground. Terri tried to fight it, but was unable to match the attacker's strength and found herself falling into the ground, the attacker's arms still wrapped around her body.

Terri managed to free her mouth by jerking her head sharply a few times. She turned her head to try to get a good look at her attacker. Her eyes widened. She had expected a crazed man, but instead she was looking at another female teenager, who looked like she was about the same age as Buzz. The teenager wore dark clothing and had raven-black long hair.

"Who...who are you?" Terri managed to ask. She shuddered at the cold laughter the teenager emitted.

The teenager said evilly, "I am Oscura, and I am your worst nightmare..."

Terri struggled again. "Let me go!" She yelped as Oscura suddenly dug sharp claws into her arm. She looked up at Oscura in horror. "You're...a..."

"Dinosaur? Why, yes I am." Oscura grinned. She released one of her hands and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a relatively large cloth. "And you..are about to truly understand what it means to be afraid."

Before Terri could jerk her head away, Oscura shoved the cloth against her face. Terri struggled to free herself. She tried not to inhale, knowing that the cloth was coated in some knockout gas. But no matter how hard she tried, Oscura held her in place and kept the cloth where it was. Unable to continue holding her breath, Terri took in a few breaths. After a few seconds, her eyes closed and her body became limp. Oscura continued to hold the cloth until she was certain Terri was completely out. Once she was sure, she removed the cloth and stood triumphantly over her victim.

"Revenge will be sweet." She said, sneering evilly at Terri's unmoving form.

___

Terri moaned as she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry for a few moments, but quickly sharpened. Her head was groggy and it took her a while to realize she wasn't at her friend's house nor at her own house. When her mind was cleared, her eyes widened and she looked around to see where she was. It looked like she was in some kind of abandoned building. She could see several broken windows, some doors that led to other rooms, broken wooden panels, and a strange smell hung in the air.

She tried to move her arms, but quickly found they were chained and bound at either side. She looked at her bonds. They weren't rope, but instead metal, the cold ring fastened tightly around her wrists. She glanced down at her feet. They were strapped in some kind of shackle, binding her feet together. She tried to move them, hoping the shackle were weak. But it did not budge.

Terri's heart started to race when she heard footsteps coming from down the hall. When she saw Oscura start to approach her, Terri straightened up, eyes widened in uncertainty. The evil teenager just smiled at her as she got closer to her. Once she reached Terri, she simply stared at her for a few moments, looking like she was enjoying the girl's fear. Terri tried to look away, but found it hard to tear herself away from Oscura's cold stare.

"Get away from me!" She managed to say.

Oscura chuckled darkly. "Oh I'm sorry. I can't allow that." She reached forward and gently tilted Terri's head upward with her hand. "You see, you are going to help me fulfill my plan to get revenge against the pesky Dino Squad. I want them to suffer for making me look like a fool."

Terri jerked her head away. Through nervously clenched teeth, she said, "What are you going to do to me..?"

Giggling in an almost insane manner, Oscura took a step even closer to Terri and leaned in. She gripped both Terri's shoulders as she placed her mouth close to Terri's ear. She then whispered into the girl's ear, "Eat you."

Terri was too stunned and horrified to respond. Her whole body started to tremble as Oscura moved back from her, smirking at her. Oscura held up a hand, sharp claws rapidly growing from her finger tips. Terri tried to move back as Oscura moved in closer with her claws. The evil teenager placed a claw tip against Terri's forehead and applied pressure. Terri cried as the claw pierced her skin and blood started to flow. But Oscura wasn't done yet. She started to drag the claw, very slowly, down the girl's face. Terri winced in pain as the claw continued down her face until it reached her jaw. Oscura withdrew her hand.

Terri's eyes widened when she saw Oscura lick the claw tip that was stained with her blood. Oscura seemed to enjoy it. She turned her attention back to her victim. She leaned in close to Terri and started to lick part of the cut on her face, looking as if she was enjoying the taste of human blood. She pulled back, licking her lips a few times. "It seems I picked the right prey. You taste delicious."

Terri tried again to struggle to free herself. "No! I won't let you!"

Oscura chuckled. "A feisty one. I like that. Tell you what. I'll go and barricade all the exits, and then I'll release your bonds. Then we can have a little fun." She flexed her claws in anticipation as she stared into Terri's fearful eyes. "I'm so going to enjoy this..."

Terri watched as Oscura went to work barricading all the exits. She barricaded the exits using various heavy objects, upon which she seemed to use her dino strength to aid her in moving. By the time Oscura was done setting up the barricades, Terri realized there was no chance for her to escape through those. She lacked the strength to move the objects. She couldn't use the windows either; Oscura had nailed a couple boards to eat of them to ensure she couldn't escape that way.

As Oscura was finishing setting up the area for whatever game she was going to play with her, Terri wondered why Oscura had targeted her. She recalled Oscura mentioned something about the Dino Squad. Then it hit her. She remembered her sister told her about two new dino morphers they met. Michelle was one of them, who had become a recent member of the team. But there was another, one that the others didn't like very much, and that must have been Oscura. Terri gulped. It seemed she was about to experience firsthand the reason why this teen was so widely hated.

Oscura walked up to Terri, her eyes starting to glow slightly in anticipation. "Okay, we can begin now." She reached down to Terri's legs to undo the shackles. "Let's see how good you are at defending yourself. I do hope you put up a good fight." She went to undoing the bonds that held Terri's arms in place. "I do love a good challenge. It's always so much more fun when the prey fights back."

As soon as she felt her arms were free, Terri lunged at Oscura and shoved her into the ground. "I am not your prey! Now release me, or I'll call for help!" She reached into her pocket to get her cellphone, but her eyes widened in horror when she realized it wasn't there. She felt Oscura push against her, knocking her back.

"Oh you think I was stupid enough to let you keep your cellphone? Wrong!" Oscura sneered. "I made sure I disposed of that before I brought you here. No one will be able to hear you here. And you will not be able to call for help."

Oscura charged for Terri, wrapping her arms around her as she pinned the girl to the ground. Terri struggled frantically to get Oscura off of her. She pushed her hand against Oscura's face and attempted to kick her off with her legs. But nothing seemed to make the evil teenager get off of her. She gripped Oscura's arm and dug her nails as deep into it as she could. When that didn't work, she tried one last thing. She bit Oscura.

This caused Oscura to scream in pain, allowing for Terri to kick her off. Terri then got up and started to run towards one of the exits, hoping that she would be able to escape before Oscura would regain her footing. But before she could reach one of the barricaded exits, she felt Oscura push against her again, pinning her back down. Terri looked up at Oscura in fear as she continued to struggle.

"Let me go now! Please!" Terri pleaded, a few tears starting to form in her eyes.

This pleased Oscura. "Why should I let you go? I am the predator in this game." She lowered her head so it was close to Terri's. "And you are my prey."

With that, she opened her mouth, her troodon teeth coming forward, and bit down on Terri, slicing into her throat. She deliberately avoided the jugular veins because she wanted to prolong the girl's suffering. Terri screamed in agony and tried to struggle even harder. Oscura responded to this by biting harder, enjoying the taste of human blood that was now trickling into her mouth.

Instinctively, she transformed completely into a troodon. She used her dino mode's strength to keep Terri still as she continued to bite her neck. It wasn't long before the poisonous bite started to take effect. Terri's struggles slowed down and then ceased altogether. Instead, all she could do now was moan in pain, completely helpless in Oscura's jaws.

Oscura seemed mildly disappointed that the fight was over so quickly. 'I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight. Oh well. My fault for biting you too early.' Terri moaned again, her eyes starting to close. 'Don't worry, your pain will end soon.'

Terri managed to keep one eye open. "Wh...what m-makes you think my...friends aren't g-going to find out what you did...?"

Oscura's eyes glinted. 'Whoever said I was going to lie to them about it? I want them to find out. I want them to suffer.'

"Y-You'll regret it..." Terri managed to say before Oscura dug her claws deep into her arms. She was too weak to scream.

'Don't worry, you won't go to waste.' Oscura sneered. She couldn't wait to tear out this pathetic human's throat. 'You'll make a fine dinner.'

All Terri could do was groan and close her eyes. She waited for Oscura to deliver the final blow. But it never came.

There was a loud sound that got Oscura's attention. She released her grip on Terri's neck and looked up to find the source of the sound. She noticed there was now a large, gaping hole in the wall. She didn't have a lot of time to take this in as something golden slammed into her, knocking her clean off Terri. Oscura scrambled to her feet and hissed angrily. She looked up to see the angry face of a familiar spinosaurus.

'You!' Oscura growled.

'What have you done to my sister?!' Fiona roared, positioning herself in front of Terri protectively.

Terri opened up her eyes and tried to see who had saved her, but all she could see was blurry gold and brown. She had an idea of who it was. "F-Fiona...?" She whispered before her vision went black and she went unconscious.

___

For the second time that day, Terri woke up. This time, she woke up in her own bedroom. Her neck had been bandaged up. The pain had lessened. Looking over at a medicine bottle, she guessed the reason why. Her head was feeling wonky again and she struggled to try to remember the details of what had happened. She recalled being ambushed by some crazy teenager, who had tried to eat her.

Her eyes flew open as she recalled that detail. She sat up quickly and looked around as if she thought this was some kind of trick or dream. But sitting up quickly gave her a dizzy spell and she fell back onto the bed. She groaned in pain. Her neck was stiff and sore and she had a pounding headache. She rubbed her head softly.

"Terri! Oh Terri, thank goodness you're all right!" Mrs. Flagstaff cried as she embraced her youngest daughter. She, her husband, and Fiona had been sitting in the room with her, waiting for her to wake up.

"M-Mom..." Terri whispered, and then winced in pain.

"Shh. You shouldn't talk right now." Mr. Flagstaff said, looking at his daughter with an almost uncharacteristic solemn look. "You took a nasty blow to your neck. Fiona told us what happened. She saved your life before you were killed."

Terri looked over at Fiona, who had moved in closer and was leaning on the bed next to her. "Th-thank you.." Terri managed to say, a small smile appearing on her face.

Fiona smiled softly. But her face turned serious again. "I'm still waiting for Buzz to come back with some more potent medicine. You've been bitten by Oscura, who has a troodon form, and her troodon form has a poisonous bite. You'll be sick for a while, I'm afraid." She leaned in close to Terri and pressed her forehead against her head. "But at least you're safe now. We were so worried about you."

"H-How..." Terri gasped.

"How did she find you? When we got a phone call from your friend stating that you hadn't shown up, we knew something was wrong. Fiona went out to look for you." Mrs. Flagstaff explained, stroking her daughter's hair.

"She used her dinosaur form to locate you by scent, and she found you at an abandoned building. She easily took care of that troodon girl and brought you back home." Mr. Flagstaff said.

After placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead, Mrs. Flagstaff straightened herself up, turned to her husband and other daughter, and said, "Come on, we should let her get some more rest. She's been through a lot." She turned back to Terri and gave a reassuring smile when she saw Terri's eyes widen slightly. "Don't worry, honey. You'll be safe here." She stroked her hair before turning around and leaving, her husband following behind.

Fiona watched them leave and looked back at Terri. She remained quiet for a few seconds, a solemn look on her face. "This is exactly why I didn't want you going on missions, Terri. I was afraid that something terrible would happen to you. And now..it had." She tried to hide her tears but failed. "I'm just glad that I arrived when I did. Had I been a few minutes late, you would have been..."

Terri smiled softly. "Yeah...I know.."

Fiona wiped away a tear. "Well I best get going and let you get some more sleep. You need to save up as much strength as you can until the sickness wears off." She started to get up from the bed when she felt something grab her. She looked down and saw that Terri had grabbed her arm and was looking at her with a near fearful look.

"Please..don't leave me alone." Terri whispered. "I-I'm too scared to be alone.."

Fiona's eyes widened at this. Terri almost never admitted when she was genuinely afraid. She moved in closer and put an arm around Terri. "Oh Terri... Don't worry. I'm here." She hugged her gently. "I won't let anything happen to you again." Terri smiled at this and closed her eyes.

*Present*:

The flashback left Terri with many unpleasant feelings. That was the only other time she had ever encountered Oscura directly. Her nearly being killed was a major reason her sister didn't want her on missions. Terri was sometimes employed on missions, but she hadn't encountered Oscura again, that is until now. She shuddered as she looked at Oscura's evil smile and felt uneasy from the way she was looking at her. She wondered if she was going to try to eat her once again.

But this time, she would have an advantage. After she recovered from the illness, it didn't take her and the others long to realize she was suddenly able to transform into a baryonyx. They weren't sure how she was able to at first until they investigated the house she was held in. It turned out that, a short time before Oscura used that building, Veloci had very recently released some ooze in the building as part of an experiment. Terri had been exposed to it during her struggle against Oscura. Had it not been for her capture, she never would have gained a dinosaur form.

"I admit, taking care of you will be more of a challenge." Oscura noted. "As I recall, you have a dinosaur form now."

Terri's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"From what people have said of course. Plus Veloci told me about the primordial ooze he put in that building. He wasn't very happy I brought you there." Oscura said. "He doesn't like the idea of yet another member of the Dino Squad." She stroked the knocker in her hands. She then looked at the two girls in front of her, a sinister smile coming onto her face. "But now I can take care of you both. The interloper and the traitor in one go. Veloci will be so pleased!"

Michelle's eyes glowed brightly. "Bring it on then! I have many scores to settle with you with all the times you've tried to have me killed!"

Oscura simply shrugged her shoulders and said nonchalantly, "That is very tempting indeed, but unfortunately for me, Veloci only wants me to interrogate, not kill."

"What makes you think we are going to tell you anything?" Michelle demanded as she took a step forward. Her claws started to show on her hands. "You will have to fight to get any information from us!"

Feeling some courage rise inside of her, Terri found herself brandishing her claws at Oscura. "And there's two of us and only one of you!"

Oscura's eyes widened almost unnaturally and she spoke in a mocking voice, "Oh no! I am outnumbered! Oh whatever shall I do?" Her face immediately changed to an evil sneer. "This!" She leveled the knocker and aimed it at Michelle. She pulled the trigger and sent out another energy blast.

The blast slammed against Michelle and knocked her into the solid ground. Her body twitched for a few seconds and she remain limp on the ground. Terri, horrified, rushed to her side. She grabbed Michelle's shoulders and started to shake her, but Michelle wasn't responding. Scared, Terri looked over at Oscura. "What did you do to her?"

"Shh.. quiet. She's sleeping." Oscura whispered as she moved in quickly to Terri. "And soon, you will be too." She lifted up the knocker and pointed it at Terri.

Terri's eyes glowed. "Not this time..." With that, she transformed into her baryonyx form and roared at Oscura. 'Not ever again!'

Oscura shrugged her shoulders. "Do you really want to do this the hard way? Trust me, it will be so much easier to just surrender."

'I would rather fight you than go down so easily!' Terri declared, baring her teeth.

Oscura smirked. "Then prove that to me. Let's see if you truly are stronger than you were before."

Terri roared and charged towards Oscura, snapping her jaws a few times. Oscura just looked up at her with no fear whatsoever. She slowly pulled the knocker up and her finger pressed against the trigger. A second later, a blast shot out and headed straight for Terri.

___

Dr. Axel stood outside of the museum. The parking lot was largely empty, though there were a few cars, including her own. The only people who would be in the museum at this hour were mostly security guards. She didn't need to worry about them because she was wearing her badge, which gave her authorization to come into the museum after hours.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. She placed it into the keyhole, twisted it, and opened the door. She stepped inside and began to walk through the near empty, silent museum. Only a few lights were on, so it was dimmer than usual. But she knew where she was going, easily navigating down the hallways and towards the large doors that led into the back section. She quickly opened them up and walked up to her station where she had examined the strange fossil with Veloci.

The fossil she was working on before had been moved onto a different table. A good portion of the rock that was sticking to it had been removed. A new fossil of the same creature had been found, this one slightly more intact, though the skull was crushed at one side. Axel walked up to it and looked down at the two skeletons. She was about to go to work when she noticed a note sitting on her worktable nearby. She picked it up and read it. It was a note from another museum worker telling her that someone tried to get in touch with her, stating that Veloci wanted to speak with her again.

Axel groaned and crumbled the piece of paper and tossed it into the nearby trash bin. "I have no time for Dr. Veloci. He can wait." She then turned her attention back towards the fossils. "I have more..urgent matters." She said, grinning.

She walked over to the table and pulled a drawer. She pulled out one of the tools she used to clean bone. Unlike most paleontologists who would use smaller tools to avoid damage, Dr. Axel had taken out a much larger tool. Its overall design was unlike that of any of the other tools that were in the drawer. She walked up to the fossil and lifted the tool.

She was about to activate it when she heard a loud ringing behind her. She growled softly, slammed the tool onto the table, and stormed over to the phone. She walked up to the phone. Before she grabbed it, she breathed in a few times to calm herself. She picked up the phone and said, "Hello?" When she recognized Veloci's voice, she gritted her teeth briefly. "Of all the times you had to call me.. I'm really busy at the moment."

Dr. Axel rolled her eyes when Veloci told her that she should show more respect to him considering he's a billionaire businessman. "Yeah, whatever. Sorry, but you really did pick a bad time to call me. I'm trying to..excavate more fossils of those strange animals and..." She stopped when Veloci explained to her about the incident he saw on the radar. Axel remained quiet for a few seconds and said, "Oh..really? Care to explain to me more about what happened?"

But Veloci wasn't interested in telling her the details over the phone. He insisted that they arrange another meeting, this time in a more secure location. "Not sure why we can't just have the meeting here, but okay." Dr. Axel said. "Just call me again when you are ready, and be sure to give me details on where you are so I can find you. And when I get there, be sure to tell me all the details." She hung up the phone.

Dr. Axel moved back towards the skeletons. She placed her hand on the head of the one with the crushed skull and gently stroked it. Her eyes tracked back to the phone. "I should have known..."

___

Moynihan was sitting at her favorite chair, passing the time through knitting. She looked at the time and she couldn't help but feel worried, her eyes narrowing slightly. Two hours had passed since she had sent out Michelle to get her a computer piece she needed. The store wasn't that far away, so it shouldn't have taken her this long to get it. She wondered what was keeping Michelle.

She had thought of calling Michelle earlier to see if she was on her way back, but she had thought that by the time she called, Michelle would have been back home already. But a decent amount of time had passed between then and now and there was still no sign of Michelle. She had got up a few times and looked out the window to see if she was coming, but still no sign of her. It was beginning to worry Moynihan.

She then remembered the watches that each of the team usually wore, especially after what happened to Caruso. She knew Michelle was wearing one when she had walked out of the door. All she would need to do was use one of their computers to track her location. She got up from her seat, grabbed her cane, and made her way up the stairs.

Once she was up there, she walked towards the large monitor. She typed in a few commands and a radar screen came up. Her eyes widened slightly when not one but two signals were shown. She realized it was likely Terri. Michelle probably went over to Terri's place to help her get the computer part. But even with that extra trip, she still should have been back by now. And that wasn't the only thing she noticed was wrong.

The two signals were indeed moving, but they were moving away from the lighthouse and were too far away from the computer store. This was unlike Terri and Michelle. Something else had to be wrong. She wanted to contact them, but feared that it would only make their situation worse. Instead, Moynihan went over to another computer and typed in a few commands. It didn't take longer for the screen to change from black to showing a picture of a sleepy-looking Max.

Max yawned. "Ms. Moynihan? What's wrong?"

"Max, we've got a situation." Moynihan said, leaning in slightly. Max's expression became slightly more alert. "I sent Michelle out to get me something and she hasn't returned yet. According to the radar, she is likely with Terri but the two of them are heading further and further away and that isn't like them. I think something terrible has happened. I want you and the others to go out and find them."

Max, who know looked fully awake and shocked at the news, immediately said, "I'm on it, Moynihan!"


	9. Lingering Hostility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Caruso nearly fell out of his bed when he heard his cellphone ring. He cursed himself for turning the volume so high up. Grumbling, he fumbled for the phone, which sat on a table next to his bed, and picked it up. He rubbed his eyes and read the caller ID. It took him a few moments to realize who it was.

"Max...? What does he want?" He asked himself sleepily as he pressed the button. "Hello..?"

Max's voice sounded urgent. He told Caruso about how Moynihan wanted them to go find Michelle and Terri. But it took a few moments for Caruso to fully realize the situation. It was late and he was still very groggy, having just woke up. He yawned softly and muttered something before starting to doze off again, but Max raised his voice with him, jolting Caruso awake. It didn't take long after that for him to realize how serious the situation was.

"Michelle and Terri are missing?" He asked, though his voice still sounded tired. "Does Moynihan know where they are now?" He waited as Max explained where Moynihan believes they are. Caruso nodded a few times in acknowledgment. "All right, I'll be there."

He hung up his cellphone and got up out of bed. He stretched for a few seconds before he quickly changed his clothes. He put on his socks and shoes and walked out to where his motorbike was. He put in a couple chillers and spillers, hopped onto the bike, and sped off to the location where Max had described to him.

On the way there, he couldn't help but feel that Veloci was responsible for their disappearances. He couldn't think of a reason why he'd go out of his way to get Terri, but Michelle is a former employee and would be a prime target. Even though Veloci hadn't made too much of an attempt recently kill Michelle, Caruso knew Veloci enough to know that he would still kill her if he was given an opportunity.

"I hope we won't be too late." He told himself.

___

Oscura took the last bit of electrical rope and proceeded to tie Terri to a chair next to the one she tied Michelle to. She had managed to knock out Terri almost the second she charged towards her and she had dragged the bodies into a nearby truck she managed to steal. She drove them to a secluded area outside of town. She had tied up Michelle first and was working on finishing up Terri. The two had already woke up but hadn't tried to escape when she told them the rope was electrical and that she could activate it at anytime if they tried to escape.

Once she was done with Terri, she walked over and pulled over a third chair, this one for herself. Gripping the rope that would active the electrical rope if she felt the need, she sat down in the chair in front of them and sneered at the two. She was obviously very happy with this stroke of luck. She never imagined she would get a hold of both Terri and Michelle. She hates Michelle and still wants to kill her, and she found Terri to be delicious and still wanted to eat her.

"I still can't believe my good fortune tonight." Oscura giggled. "The interloper.." She glanced at Terri. "..and the traitor." She glared over at Michelle. "If Veloci had only given me the right orders, I could kill you both and reduce the Dino Squad's numbers."

"Oh can it!" Michelle hissed, gritting her teeth. "This isn't an accomplishment and you know that!"

"I beg to differ. I captured both of you weaklings." Oscura said.

"You did it with a coward's weapon!" Michelle barked at her.

Terri nodded in agreement. "Yeah! If you really want an accomplishment, why not untie us both and try to fight us without any help from your precious weapons?!"

Oscura narrowed her eyes. She got up from her seat and strode over to Terri. As she got closer, Terri's eyes widened slowly and she tried to lean back in her chair. Oscura got uncomfortably close to her, lowering herself so she could be eye level with Terri. She could still see a faint mark on Terri's face where she scratched her. She gently rubbed a finger along the cut, causing Terri to wince in anticipation. "If I were in your situation, little girl, I wouldn't be trying to tempt fate."

Terri clearly looked afraid. "Please don't touch me..."

Oscura smirked. "Why should I? I will have you for dinner one day, whether you like it or not." She laughed as she extended her claws, about to cut deep into her skin again to draw more blood.

"Leave her alone!" Michelle called out, eyes widened. "I'm the one you really want! Don't hurt her!"

Oscura slowly turned her attention to Michelle. Her smile slowly faded into a frown. She moved away from Terri and started to come towards Michelle, who shrank back as she got closer. Oscura lowered her head, glaring into Michelle's eyes. "Yes you're right..." She leaned in close to Michelle, drool dripping down her chin as she bared her troodon teeth. "She isn't the one I really want. You are, you little traitor." Michelle closed her eyes and turned her head away. But Oscura was not about to be ignored. She roughly grabbed Michelle's head, digging her claws into her scalp, drawing blood. She then twisted it, forcing Michelle to look at her. "Look at me when I talk to you, traitor!"

"I'm not the real traitor..." Oscura's eyes widened when she heard Michelle say that. "Veloci is the real traitor when he turned his back on Moynihan." Michelle continued, sounding a bit bold. "Things would not have been this way had he listened to reason. I made the right decision by leaving him. He has no clue what he's doing."

Oscura growled as Michelle said that. She pulled her hand away and fully transformed it into a troodon hand. She brought it down, striking Michelle across the face, producing three long, bloody cuts. Michelle cried out in pain, closing her eyes tightly. "Don't you dare talk about Veloci in that way! Respect your superiors, you pathetic deserter!"

Terri looked at Michelle in shock. "Michelle! Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah.." Michelle said, wincing as she felt blood drip from her face. "I'll be fine..." She yelped as Oscura grabbed her lower jaw, digging claws deep into her skin. Her head was then forced in one direction. She opened her eyes and found herself looking back at Oscura's rage-filled expression.

"You're going to be far from fine once I'm through with you, Michelle." Oscura threatened, flashing her teeth. Through her pain, Michelle managed a small smile and chuckle, taking Oscura by surprise. "What are you laughing about?"

"You, Oscura." Michelle said, closing her eyes. "You'll never understand. I could explain it to you all day long, and your feeble mind will never be able to grasp the smallest details."

"Michelle..." Terri looked shocked by Michelle's bold taunt to Oscura.

"Face it, Oscura. You're just as mindless as you think the Dino Squad is." Michelle added, a taunting tone to her voice.

"How dare you!" Oscura hissed. Without thinking, she dropped the electric rope and brought her hands forward, both fully transformed. She dug her talons deep into Michelle's arms, causing her to cry out in pain. She squeezed harder as she brought her face close to hers. "You know what? Maybe I'll just kill you now and get it over with!"

With that, she fully transformed into a troodon. Still gripping Michelle's arms, she opened her jaws and bit down onto Michelle's head. Michelle cried in agony and tried to struggle, but Oscura's bite pressure simply increased. She could feel blood flowing from her face and it didn't take long for the poison of Oscura's bite to take effect. She started to feel weak, her vision starting to get blurry. Oscura pulled away, changing back into human form. She had a look of triumph on her face as she watched Michelle rapidly grow weaker.

"All I need is one more bite and you are done for, Michelle..." Oscura grinned, moving in closer.

Terri was about to call out when she realized something. Oscura wasn't holding the rope any longer and right now was too focused on Michelle to realize it. Without that one piece of rope, she couldn't activate the electricity in the ropes that now bound her and Michelle to the chairs. Trying to be as quiet as she could, Terri extended a claw and started to cut away at the rope.

"N-No matter what you say..." Michelle retorted, fighting against the sickness. "..this will never be a true..triumph."

Oscura laughed, folding her arms. "Says the girl who is about to die soon. I just need to bite again and you'll get so sick you'll die quickly." She licked her lips in anticipation. She couldn't wait to finally end the life of this traitorous girl. "As for your friend...I'll kill her shortly after. I am getting hungry."

Terri did her best to ignore that statement as she continued cutting through the ropes. She managed to slice the ropes that were binding her. Once she felt she was free, she jumped from the seat and rammed into Oscura, taking her by surprise. The two girls landed on the ground, Terri on top of Oscura. The evil teenager looked up at Terri in surprise, then quickly started to wrestle with her. The two girls rolled across the floor, digging their claws into each other.

Once Oscura managed to pin Terri on the ground, she said, "Who do you think you're dealing with?!"

Terri responded by driving a kick directly into Oscura's lower stomach. Oscura grunted in pain and fell off of Terri. "Someone who clearly doesn't think before she acts!" She quickly got on top of Oscura and attempted to hold her down.

"Get off of me!" Oscura called out. Her struggles increased.

Terri wrapped her arms around Oscura's throat and squeezed, causing Oscura to have some trouble breathing. Oscura managed to stand up and walk around with Terri on her back, hanging on. She turned her head, glaring at Terri through the corner of her eye. Thinking fast, she dug her claws deep into Terri's arms, causing the girl to scream and loosen her grip. Oscura grabbed an arm and slammed the girl into the ground. She placed a foot on her chest to keep her pinned down.

This didn't last too long. Terri extended her long tail and wrapped it around Oscura's leg. She pulled quickly and tossed Oscura several feet away. She scrambled up to her feet and took a fighting stance. Oscura had gotten up quickly. She smirked as she looked in Terri's direction. She began to advance towards Terri, slowly, deliberately.

"Impressive..I see you have improved since the last time we met." Oscura commented. Terri just glared at her. "But still, it won't be enough to save you from me."

___

Dr. Axel stood outside of Raptor Dyne. She knew Dr. Veloci might be a bit annoyed she came to him at this hour, but she didn't feel she should wait to speak with him, not after what he told her last night. The details, though not much, sparked her interest. She didn't want to wait another day or so to talk to him. It was important that she speak with him as soon as possible.

She entered the building and headed down the hallway. There was a receptionist's desk located close to the entrance. She walked up to it. There was a woman in uniform standing there. It didn't surprise her. She knew Veloci worked unusually late hours and hired a night staff. Dr. Axel nodded in greeting and said, "I am here to see Dr. Veloci."

The woman eyed her and said, "Do you have an appointment with him?"

"Sort of..." Dr. Axel said. "He wanted to meet with me another day, but I insist on seeing him now."

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to see him unless he calls for you."

"But.." Axel said.

"I'm sorry, but those are the rules." The woman said, narrowing her eyes. "Now unless you have another appointment, want to cancel an appointment, want to arrange another appointment, or apply for a job, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Axel bared her teeth. "And I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to let me pass..."

"Ma'am, there's nothing you can do or say to make me go against the rules." The woman said in a firm voice.

"Oh I think there is..." Axel said, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

___

Max, Fiona, Rodger, Caruso, and Buzz had arrived by the computer shop where Moynihan had sent them. They examined the area for clues to figure out what had happened. They saw their motorbikes and they immediately knew something terrible had happened. They also saw evidence of blast shots in the ground. They quickly suspected Veloci or one of his other minions. Luckily, Michelle and Terri, as Moynihan had pointed out, still had their communicators with them.

They were now on their way to wherever Michelle and Terri where. They were moving as fast as they could in the dark. They wanted to get to them as quickly as possible. They didn't want to have to relive the nightmare that they had when they found Caruso unconscious, thinking he was dead.

"I hope they are all right." Buzz said worriedly.

"They'll be fine." Max reassured. "They're both tough."

Rodger took a moment to look at a small scanner that he held in his hands. He put it away and placed his hand back on the handlebar. "The scanner indicates they are not too far from here. They are both together in what appears to be a building."

"Could you tell if there was anyone else with them?" Max asked.

Rodger shook his head. "All the scanner showed me was a third person but I couldn't figure out who it was. But if I had to guess, I would say Oscura. I have a hunch she's the one who captured them."

Buzz gritted his teeth. "I hate that girl..."

"Right now I'm more concerned about Terri and Michelle." Fiona said. She was feeling guilty for not going with Terri earlier. She felt responsible for this happening.

The team continued driving along the road. It soon led up a hill into a patch of woods. They had never been in this particular part of town before, but they still continued on. As they went up the hill, they soon noticed a building coming into view. It was pretty large, though they had seen bigger. The building wasn't too far away. They were certain this was where Michelle and Terri were.

As soon as they got to the outside of the building, they parked their bikes and got off. They removed their helmets and walked up to the door. They lined up at the door and prepared themselves for a fight. They nodded to each other before Max tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge. He gestured to Rodger and the two of them worked together, banging on the door until it finally swung open. They all ran inside.

They looked frantically around the room until they finally noticed Terri, Michelle, and their captor, Oscura. Michelle was tied to a chair. She wasn't moving much and she didn't look very well. There was blood dripping from her, and they could see evidence of a bite mark on her. Terri was on the ground with Oscura on top of her. Oscura had an arm slung around Terri's neck and seemed to be trying to choke her. Terri looked like she lost a lot of strength trying to fight Oscura. The two of them were fighting a good distance away from where Michelle was.

The Dino Squad reacted immediately. Fiona, Max, and Caruso ran over to where Terri and Oscura were fighting. Rodger and Buzz ran towards where Michelle was tied up. When they reached her, Rodger gently shook Michelle's shoulders to see if she was still awake. When Michelle didn't respond, he and Buzz went to work cutting through the strange-looking rope. With his pteranodon talons, Buzz easily sliced through the rope. Rodger used his strength to pull it away, freeing Michelle.

Rodger tried again to shake her. "Michelle, wake up!"

Michelle's eyes slowly opened. She looked up at him. "R-Rodger? How did you find us?"

Rodger said. "The communicators of course. You and Terri are still wearing them." He looked at her injury and winced. "Oscura bit you?" Michelle nodded her head. "Can you stand up?"

"I will try." Michelle slowly got up out of the chair. She was able to stand, although her legs were wobbly and weak. She tried to take a forward, but she started to fall back down. Immediately Rodger and Buzz grabbed her and steadied her. "I guess that answers your question... I don't think it's anything that serious. I just need to stretch my legs is all."

"Why did Oscura capture you and Terri?" Buzz asked.

"She wanted...information. She said there was something Veloci wanted to know." Michelle explained.

Buzz looked over at Rodger. "Do you think she's talking about our alimon encounter?"

Rodger nodded. "That's what I was thinking. It wouldn't surprise me."

While Rodger and Buzz were talking with Michelle, Caruso, Max, and Fiona had stopped in their tracks not far from Terri. Oscura had noticed them coming and had immediately extended her claws and placed them against Terri's throat. She threatened to tear out her throat if they took another step closer. The trio stopped, fearing for Terri's safety. They continued to glare at Oscura, frustrated that they couldn't get any closer. The girl had already seen them so they couldn't mount a surprise attack. They knew they had to try something, though, otherwise Terri was going to die.

Fiona clenched her hands into fists. "Let Terri go, you obnoxious troodon!"

Oscura smirked. "Never! There's nothing you can do to stop me from killing her! You can try taking another step forward but I'll slice her throat! You can do nothing but I will still kill her!" An insane smile spread onto her face. "No matter what you do, I still win!"

Terri tried to struggle in Oscura's grasp. "Release me!"

Oscura squeezed her tighter, causing her to yelp. Fiona's eyes went wide and she tried to take a step forward, but she stopped herself. Oscura sneered at Fiona and glanced back at Terri. "You have fought well, Terri. I am impressed at how much you've improved since our last encounter. It is a shame you haven't improved enough. I told you that you were no match for me."

"I swear if you hurt her, I'll kill you!" Fiona shouted, her eyes glowing.

Oscura burst out laughing. "Like you can even hope to accomplish that!"

Max pointed at Oscura and said, "Release her now!"

"And why should I listen to you, dino boy? I am in control here. I make the calls. And there's nothing you can do to save her." Oscura sneered, grinning. "If you five hadn't rushed in and had actually planned an ambush, maybe you could have saved her." She glanced down at Terri. "But because of your stupidity, your little friend here will die." She glowed and transformed into her troodon shape, still gripping Terri with her hands, digging in her claws.

Terri's eyes instinctively glowed. "I'll transform!"

Oscura opened her jaws, flashing her sharp teeth. 'If you do, brat, I'll bite you! Then you'll be too weak to fight!' Drool dripped from her jaws. She licked her lips in anticipation. She was almost hoping that Terri would transform so she can bite her.

"Don't you dare!" Caruso shouted. He wanted to rush forward and attack Oscura. The only thing holding him back was Terri. He still wanted to prove to Oscura that he was no longer the weakling she used to know. "If you do, I'll crush you!"

Oscura closed her jaws and turned her head over to Caruso. 'And who are you to threaten me? The same boy who surrendered to the bridle is now threatening me with death? How amusing!' She turned her attention back to Terri. Her tail swished from side to side almost excitedly. She then looked back at Caruso. 'Even if you were to go dino and charge me this instant, I'll still have time to savior one last taste of Terri there.' Caruso, Max, and Fiona's eyes widened in horror as Oscura opened her jaws wide and prepared to bite down.

Just then there was a loud roar, echoing through the building. Oscura paused what she was doing and looked around. The others did likewise, trying to find the source of the sound. A few times, they could see a flash of white but they couldn't see who or what it was. Oscura hissed, turning her head from side to side as she tried to see who dared interfere her.

'Show yourself!' She said, baring her teeth. 'I warn you, if you get too close, I'll kill her!'

As soon as she said that, the white flash appeared again, this time much closer to her. She was startled as she felt herself being knocked onto the ground, releasing her grip on Terri. Once she was free, Terri ran over to where her sister and friends where. They, along with Michelle, Rodger, and Buzz, looked over to see what had knocked Oscura onto the ground. Their eyes widened as they recognized what it was. It was another alimon.

This alimon physically looked like the other one except for one difference. Instead of having a short mane, it had long feathers jetting out of the back of its neck. The alimon was white in color with a light blue underside and light blue stripes. It had a scar on its left shoulder, the same one they had seen on the purple alimon. But the most striking feature of the alimon was its eyes. It was odd-eyed, with one eye blue and the other green. It stood over Oscura, using a foot to hold her down.

Oscura screeched at it. 'Release me now!'

The white alimon smiled. "You are not in any position to give me orders." It was clear the alimon was male. "It is I who should be giving you orders." Oscura tried to bite him but he quickly seized her jaws and held them shut with his other paw. She tried to pull her head back, but the alimon's grip was iron tight. Slowly, the alimon got off of her, still holding her mouth. With little effort, he threw her into the ground.

Oscura struggled to get back onto her feet, but the alimon came onto her again, this time slamming his jaws onto her thin neck. She shrieked in pain as the alimon lifted her off the ground and throw her into the wall. She slammed her head against the metallic wall and lay limp on the ground, shifting back into human form. The white alimon looked over at her and snorted, as if he was disappointed the fight didn't last long enough for him. He then turned his attention to the other occupants of the building.

Caruso was the first one to approach the male alimon. He looked nervous. "Thank you for saving Terri." He said, trying to be polite.

Rodger nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That was a close call."

Max took a step towards the white alimon. "My name is Max and this is..." His eyes widened as the white alimon charged him suddenly, pushing him into the ground without warning. The alimon held him down with his paw.

"I know who you are." The white alimon said, lowering his head so it was close to Max's face. "Everyone here is part of the Dino Squad team. My people are already familiar with you all. You do not need to introduce yourselves to me."

Max's eyes went wide. "How do you know about us?"

"We have our ways." The male alimon chuckled. "Trust me. We know more about you then you know about us."

Fiona shouted, "Why did you attack him? He didn't threaten you into a fight!"

The alimon looked over at Fiona. "Do I need a threat to fight? I think not!" Regardless, he still got off of Max, who got up and moved away from him. The alimon glanced at Max, Fiona, and Caruso, studying them. He turned his head over to Rodger, Buzz, and Michelle. He took note of how weak Michelle was looking. Smirking, he began to walk over towards Michelle. "You don't look too well, my dear."

Buzz narrowed his eyes. "I won't let you hurt her!" He and Rodger moved in front of Michelle protectively.

The alimon laughed. "I'd like to see you try to save her from me..." With that, the alimon let out another roar. He charged towards Rodger and Buzz, mouth wide open.


	10. Accidentally Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Veloci was sitting down in his favorite dinosaur-style chair, looking up at the monitors. He had been looking for any signs of Oscura, knowing full well she'd go dino during the interrogation. He was surprised when he noticed signals from not just Oscura, but also members of the Dino Squad. His eyes narrowed. He could tell, from the signature, that Oscura had failed him. The signals were all moving, meaning she hadn't tied them down for interrogation.

"I knew I should have sent Kista with her." He grumbled to himself. Then his expression softened momentarily when he noticed something else about the monitors. They had started to show signal of something else and he recognized the signature as one of the mysterious, same as the one that had attacked the Dino Squad earlier...

He immediately got up from his chair. He wasn't going to miss this chance to capture one of these strange animals. He knew that if he wanted to have time to capture the animal, he had to act now. He thought of sending Peter instead of Kista. Peter was now available for another mission. He had recently come back with some ancient mammalian fossils just like he had asked. Veloci had not yet got around to experimenting on them yet. He was currently more interested in capturing at least one of the unknown creatures.

Peter was on one of the higher levels in Raptor Dyne, so he headed towards the elevator. He pushed the button and waited for it to open up for him. When it opened for him, he was about to step inside when he noticed the elevator already had an occupant. Veloci took a step back, utterly surprised by who came walking out of the elevator.

"Dr. Axel...?" Veloci said in shock. Then his eyes narrowed. "How did you get in here? This place is off limits!" He quickly realized the full gravity of the situation. Axel was in the one place he worked so hard to keep a secret from the human race. And now, everything in the room, including his experiments, were in plain sight of Dr. Axel. And yet the woman hardly seemed to have a reaction to it at all. She was just staring calmly at Veloci.

"It may be off limits, but I still need to talk to you." Axel said. "Now you said..."

Veloci cut her off. "What is that red stuff on your mouth?"

Axel traced a finger on her mouth and looked at it. She could see a bit of redness on it. She smiled. "Oh that? It's just ketchup." She licked the red stuff off her finger. "I had a hotdog before I came here. I must've forgotten to clean it off."

Veloci nodded his head slowly. "I see... Anyway why have you come here? I told you I would speak to you another day. I'm busy right now."

Axel smirked. "Well yes, but as I said, I need to talk to you now." Her expression quickly grew more serious. "I need to know everything you know about the strange animals you claim to be seeing."

Veloci blinked, not understanding why Dr. Axel couldn't wait. At the moment, he was concerned with her being in his underground lab without his permission and he contemplated having her thrown out immediately. But even then, it was already too late. Even if she didn't react to anything, she still had seen too much and if she so pleased, she could report anything there to the authorities. He wasn't interested in killing her since she had provided valuable information to him in the past. Perhaps he should give her information. After all, if anyone could help him capture one of these animals, it was Axel.

"Not so long ago, my scanners had picked up signals coming from a creature I hadn't seen before. The signature on the radar showed an animal with a body similar to the fossils you were investigating yourself, Dr. Axel." Veloci explained. "I had sent one of my workers out to capture the animal for further testing. After all, discovering a living specimen of an animal thought to be extinct is always exciting. However, my worker had failed to capture the animal."

Axel nodded her head, a frown still on her face. "Is there anything else that you happen to know?"

"Well.." Veloci gestured towards the monitors he had been looking at earlier. Dr. Axel glanced over. "As you can see, the monitors are showing the same signal again. I was about to send another worker of mine out to capture the animal. I don't have much time. The creature could disappear quickly."

Axel looked at the monitors, studying the signature. There was a hint of recognition in her eyes. She looked back at Veloci. "You want to capture the creature? For scientific study?"

Veloci nodded. "Yes. So why don't you just leave now so I can continue with what I was doing? Every second that ticks by decreases the chances of the animal's capture."

Just then, one of Veloci's men came running towards him. His helmet was off, which revealed he was frightened about something. When he reached Veloci, he stopped, and panted heavily to catch his breath.

"What are you doing here?" Veloci asked, narrowing his eyes. Putting his hands on his hips, he said, "You're supposed to be on cleaning duty."

"I know that, sir... And I apologize, but I felt I must tell you that..." The man gasped.

"That what?" Veloci inquired, looking a bit interested to know why this man rudely interrupted his discussion with Axel.

The man panted a few more seconds, then seemed to calm down. He stood straight up. "Sir, I was just at the receptionist's desk. The woman at the receptionist's.. she's dead, sir."

Veloci's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"Her throat had been ripped out, and some of her limbs were ripped off too. Her corpse looks much like the corpses the police had found." The man said, sounding like he was trying to keep his cool.

"Is there any evidence of what could have done that?" Even though Veloci didn't care about humans, he still felt some kind of responsibility for the humans that worked for him. He knew if he didn't ensure a good public image, he could potentially lose workers from the government taking them away, or lose potential recruits. He couldn't have that.

"No evidence other than bloody footprints, and those fade quickly." The man said.

Veloci's mind clicked. "One of those strange animals must have been in Raptor Dyne. But why didn't my scanner set off?" It didn't make sense to him, unless he was so engrossed in watching Oscura that he didn't notice if any other signature had been picked up. He looked over quickly at the last person who saw the receptionist alive. "Dr. Axel, did you see anything unusual?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Everything was normal." Dr. Axel said, scratching her head. "I didn't even hear anything."

Veloci stared at her for a few moments, then rushed towards the elevator. He turned back to the man who had given the news. "You, go find Peter and Kista and tell them to go the coordinates on the monitors. They are to capture the animal and bring it back here." He looked back at Axel. Before he pressed the button, he immediately grabbed her by the arm.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Axel hissed at him.

Veloci roughly pulled her into the elevator with him. "You are leaving this instant. That is what you are doing!" He glared at her. "Next time, wait until I give you permission before you barge into my private quarters!"

Dr. Axel chuckled forcefully, though she still looked angry. "Well sorry. I'll be sure to do that next time."

"You'd better.." Veloci warned her before pressing the button. "There are certain...consequences for doing what you did. I'm only letting you off the hook because you've been helpful to me in the past."

"Well I guess I should thank you then." Axel growled softly, giving a fake smile. Veloci didn't say anything as the elevator and started to go up. When Veloci looked away from her, Axel narrowed her eyes.

___

The Dino Squad had learned from their previous alimon encounter. They knew they couldn't risk fighting the alimon or risk getting hurt. And with Michelle sick, they didn't want to risk her safety for the sake of driving away the alimon. So they divided into two groups. One group would stay behind and distract the alimon while the second group left to head to the lighthouse. Worried that the alimon would try to follow them, the first group would remain until the second group reports that they had reached the lighthouse. The first group was composed of Caruso, Buzz, and Max. They stood in front of the alimon, blocking its path as the second group, composed of Terri, Fiona, and Rodger, carried Michelle to safety.

As Terri, Rodger, and Fiona got outside and made their way to the lighthouse, Max roared at the alimon. 'We will not allow you to pass!'

The white alimon paced back and forth, trying to find a spot to squeeze past the three dinosaurs. Upon not seeing any, he growled softly, somewhat in frustration though partly in amusement. He craned his head to look into the eyes of Max. "Is that so? How long do you think you'll be able to keep me from going after them?"

'We don't know. But long enough to keep you from hurting them!' Caruso said, lifting his tail threateningly.

'The three of us will be able to hold you back long enough!' Buzz said with confidence. He was hovering above everyone else, flapping his wings to stay aloft. 'And we would like to see you try break through us!'

At this challenge, the alimon smirked evilly. He started pacing again, glancing at the three dinosaurs. No matter where he went, the three dinosaurs would follow and readjust their positions so there was no way to get out. The alimon would walk to the left, and then to the right, the three Dino Squad members moving with him. The white alimon looked only mildly frustrated. He finally stood still and eyed the dinosaurs, deep in thought. He swished his tail from side to side as he seemed to be thinking, studying the three and the environment they were in.

After a moment, the alimon started to make his move. He focused on the left side first, walking towards it. Just as before, the three dinosaurs moved towards the left to block his path. The alimon broke into the run towards the left, running straight towards the three dinosaurs. Max, Buzz, and Caruso got into fighting positions, preparing to attack the alimon when he got too close. Suddenly, at the last second, the alimon veered to the right. The startled trio hadn't expected this move and didn't have time to react as the alimon slipped past them and ran out the door.

'No!' Buzz let out a screech as he flew off after the alimon. Caruso and Max, equally shocked, ran after the alimon.

The alimon was faster than they had expected him to be. Caruso and Max were running as fast as they could, but they were unable to get close enough to the alimon to attack. Buzz, on the other hand, being able to fly, was able to position himself directly above the creature. Eyes narrowing, he took a dive down, going as fast as he could. As he got closer, he changed his position and brought forth his foot talons. He was about to land the attack when he suddenly hit against low branches, getting entangled in them.

Max and Caruso continued to run towards the alimon. The tough terrain made it difficult for them to run, but the alimon didn't seem to have as much trouble. The alimon was getting further ahead as time passed by. The two knew they couldn't let this happen and they started to push themselves harder. But despite their efforts, they just couldn't keep up with the white alimon. And what was worse was that the alimon seemed to be heading in the direction where the lighthouse was. Even though they had no proof the alimon would find the lighthouse, they couldn't risk letting him get too close.

'He's getting too far away!' Max shouted, his tongue hanging out.

'I know that! I'm trying to catch up to him!' Caruso responded.

'We aren't going fast enough! At this rate, he'll get away!' Max couldn't tell if the alimon was heading for their friends or not. But he didn't want to take that chance.

'I'll get him!' Overhead, Buzz, who had freed himself, took off after the alimon.

He easily caught up to the alimon. This time, instead of diving down to attack the alimon, he chose a different approach. He flew a little faster, moving so that he was in front of the alimon instead of directly above him. He then dove down as fast as he could, this time not bringing out his talons. He managed to land in front of the alimon and wrap his wings around to catch him. The alimon, startled, didn't react as he and Buzz rolled across the floor.

When they stopped, the alimon found himself on his back, staring up at Buzz. "You stupid bird! Get out of my way!"

'You are not going to hurt my friends!' Buzz screeched, holding out his wings in a threatening posture.

The male alimon bared his teeth. "Then you shall suffer instead." He bit down on Buzz's leg, causing him to shriek in pain. With a thrust of the neck, he tossed Buzz away and got up off the ground. "It's a shame your friends won't catch up before it's too late!" He charged towards Buzz and pinned him down. He bit down on Buzz's wing.

The alimon had made too quick a judgment. Just as he was about to break Buzz's wing, he felt a pair of jaws enclose around his body. In surprise, he let go of Buzz. He was lifted swiftly into the air and realized Max had caught up to him, much faster than he expected. The jaws held him tightly, though did not bite down hard enough to kill him.

Caruso had caught up as well. He had rushed toward Buzz's side and used his tail to gently lift him up from the ground. 'Are you all right?'

Buzz glanced at the new bite on his wing, wincing. 'Yeah, I think I'll be okay. I'll need to have this treated, though.'

"Release me at once!" The alimon demanded, looking very annoyed.

'Not until you answer some questions!' Max narrowed his eyes.

"And why should I answer any question from you? I do not rat on my own pack!" The white male hissed, baring his teeth. He didn't bother waiting for an answer from Max. He lifted a hind leg and kicked swiftly. The sharp talons slashed across Max, causing him to roar in pain. As the jaws opened, he jumped from Max's mouth and landed on the ground. "You fools thought you could hold me? I'm one of my pack's best fighters, even if they don't always believe it! You three should have thought more before you decided to fight me!"

The white male lunged for Caruso, who still had his back turned. He lowered his head and slammed against Caruso's side, knocking the stegosaurus down. He heard heavy footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around and leaped at Max, who was barreling towards him now. He managed to jump high enough to bite down onto Max's upper jaw. Max's eyes widened in pain and he shook his head, tossing the alimon away.

But the alimon wasn't defeated. Back on his feet again, he bit down onto Max's leg, drawing blood. He heard a screech behind him and he quickly let go. He looked at Buzz and waited until he got close enough before he launched his attack. He bit down onto Buzz's neck and slammed him into the ground. He then turned his attention back to Caruso and ran towards him. He bit down onto one of Caruso's plates and bit down with enough force to break the plate, causing blood to spew from it. Caruso bellowed in agony.

There was another roar, this one coming from another source. The male alimon seemed to pause and the Dino Squad watched in anticipation as the alimon turned his head to the source of the sound. Coming out from the clearing was yet another alimon, this one brown with a blue underside. This one had the same downy mane, so was obviously female. Unlike with the white male, her scar was on her right shoulder. This brown female looked angry, her eyes staring intently at the white male.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The brown female hissed, baring her sharp teeth at the male.

"Taking care of some nuisances." The white male replied as the trio glared at him. "What's it to you?"

"Didn't you get the memo? The boss doesn't want us to fight them!" The female said angrily. "Really, if you hadn't played hooky, you would have known that! Luckily for you I came along and warned you before you get us into a scrap!"

As this was going on, Caruso started to sneak around them. He wanted to have a chance to attack the white alimon while his attention was diverted. Once he was in position, he charged forward, opening his jaws wide. Unfortunately, the female had spotted him and quickly shoved the white male out of the way, causing Caruso to bite into dirt instead of flesh. He lifted his head up and coughed, spitting out the dirt from his mouth. The female lunged at him and knocked him away from the white male.

The female's attention was now on the Dino Squad. Her attack on the stegosaurus caught the attention of the other two dinosaurs in the group. The trio were moving towards her. She wasn't frightened, just frustrated. "If only your sister hadn't attacked them..." She could tell the Dino Squad wanted to fight her, especially from facing off with two other alimons, including the white male. "Do starting fights run in your family?"

But she got no response. Confused, she looked behind her. The white male had dashed off, leaving her alone with the three dinosaurs. She growled and shook her head. She didn't look very surprised by this. The white male often ran away when no one was looking. Annoying trait it was. She looked back at the group of dinosaurs. Her expression was that of boredom. She didn't look particularly interested in fighting the dinosaurs, but she knew she had to in order to defend herself, especially since she knew the pteranodon could easily catch up to her if she ran away.

"Why don't you do yourselves a favor and leave now? I want to leave too." The female said calmly, pacing slowly. "But if you choose to fight, believe me, it won't be pretty."

'We just want answers.' Max's eyes narrowed. This alimon couldn't be aware of his friends trying to escape. And he felt he had stalled the white male long enough for the others to reach the lighthouse in time. 'So why don't you provide us them?'

The female shook her head. "If your previous encounter with an alimon taught you nothing, then let me give you advice. You will never get information from any of us."

Caruso took a step forward. 'We will make you talk.'

The female rolled her eyes. "Good luck with that, child. You haven't even removed Veloci from power yet. If you can't even do that, how are you going to defeat me?"

The trio looked shocked. Buzz blinked his eyes a few times. Then they narrowed as he opened his beak partway. 'How did you know about Veloci? The purple alimon told us she didn't know about him!'

"Oh she did? Well I can assure you she's lying. My entire pack is aware of you and Veloci. Ain't it scary?" She chuckled, though she still had a frown on her face. "My people know you better than you know us."

'We hardly know about you!' Max cried.

"My point exactly..." The female said, taking a step forward. "Whatever information you got from your past alimon encounters is all the information you will ever get! Look, I do not wish to fight you. So if you don't mind, I will be taking my leave now." She tried to walk away, but Buzz flew in and blocked her path. She growled in annoyance. "If you wish to fight, then I'll give you a fight. My boss is not going to like it, though.

'Too bad! You aren't leaving until you tell us about your kind, how you know about us, and what your plans are!' Buzz hissed.

'So just make things easier on yourself and comply. We promise to let you go after we're done.' Max said as he and Caruso moved in to surround the female alimon. He was determined to get answers. Every alimon they meet seemed to raise more questions than it answered.

The female alimon was clearly uninterested in talking. Despite her obvious fear of upsetting her boss, she attacked, dashing towards Max. She leaped into the air and wrapped her from limbs around his thick neck and bit into it. Max roared and frantically slashed at her with his small hands. The claws hit their mark several times, but the female wouldn't let go. Caruso rushed forward and Max lowered his head. Aiming carefully, Caruso slammed his tail against the alimon. The female rolled across the floor but quickly got back up again. She ran forward again.

This time she was headed straight for Caruso. She jumped onto his back and dug her claws into him deeply. Caruso howled in pain as he desperately tried to get her off of him. Buzz swooped down and grabbed the alimon by the tail and started to fly up to pull her off. Annoyed, the female turned her attention to Buzz. She opened her jaws and slammed them around his thigh, biting down hard. Buzz shrieked in pain and released her. The female threw him down and returned to her attack on Caruso.

Having recovered from the attack, Max moved in and rammed his head against the female, causing her to fall back into the ground. As she struggled to get up, Max moved in quickly again, grabbing her in his jaws. Having learned his lesson from the white male, he immediately tossed her instead of giving her time to attack. Though a bit bruised and having a few cuts, the female wasn't giving up. In an instant, she was back onto her feet, roaring loudly at the trio. She leaped towards Max, bringing her claws forward, but Max turned to his side and slammed his tail against her, sending her crashing into the ground again. Still, she refused to give up.

"I won't let you brats defeat me!" The alimon declared, on her feet again and kicking up dirt like a mad bull. "You should have just let me go peacefully!"

'And you should have just answered our questions and this wouldn't have happened!' Caruso shouted at her.

The female alimon bared her teeth. "I would rather die than betray my pack."

With that, she ran towards Caruso. She leaped at him, her talons aimed directly towards him. She opened her jaws wide, prepared to bite into his skull and crush it. Caruso looked up at her in horror, realizing that he didn't have enough time to move out of the way before the alimon would have her jaws on his head. He closed his eyes, waiting for the blow. Just then he saw a flash of green and opened his eyes, noticing Buzz in front of him.

In an effort to save Caruso, Buzz lifted a wing, spreading his two wing claws to attack. As the alimon got closer, knowing she wouldn't be able to move out of the way, Buzz struck out with his claws. His claws dug deep into the alimon's underside as he slashed along it. The alimon let out a lout screech of pain as she collapsed onto the ground. Buzz looked down at her and his eyes widened. His claws had dug in much further than he had anticipated. Out of the gash now present on the female's stomach, her intestines had spilled out, their fleshy scent now filling the air. The female alimon looked up at him, her eyes wide with horror and pain. They then glazed over and she closed them.

For a moment, the trio stared at the female alimon's corpse, blood pouring from the gaping wound and other organs exposed to the air. Their more advanced sense of smell combined with the horrible smell coming from the body caused them to nearly throw up. They backed away from the body, trembling slightly from what had just happened. Buzz especially was horrified at what he had done. The trio shifted back into human form and continued to stare at the dead body, unable to tear their eyes away from it.

"Buzz..." Max whispered. "What have you done?"

"I..I didn't mean to..." Buzz said, his hands shaky. He stared at his bloodied hand. "I was only trying to protect Caruso."

"We..we should tell Moynihan about this.." Caruso said, turning around.

"He's right.." Max said. "Let's get going." He forced himself to turn around.

"Okay.." Buzz's voice was shaky and took a bit of will power to make himself turn around. He still couldn't believe what he just did. He didn't mean to kill the alimon. He just wanted to keep her away from Caruso.

As he and the others walked off, a new alimon appeared onto the scene. This alimon was male and had green skin with a white back. He walked up to the corpse, looking horrified at finding it. He ran over and gently nudged it. When the still form didn't respond, he looked over and saw the trio of humans walking away. His eyes narrowed dangerously. He glanced back down at the body and, through careful effort, placed the body onto his back. He took one more glance at the retreating humans before he ran off.


	11. Mister Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Being a predator, the sight of blood and gore hardly affected Veloci. He had grown used to it from multiple kills he had made millions of years ago. Not even the smell really bothered him that much. He glanced at the other humans who were at the scene, looking in horror at the receptionist woman's torn and ripped body. A few even looked like they were going to throw up. Veloci had many reasons for considering humans a weak species and this was one of them.

He hardly made an expression as he stared at the body somewhat coldly. He was the only one there who would dare get close enough to the body. Dr. Axel hung back, but unlike the other humans, she didn't seem alarmed by the kill. There was something about her that made her different from other humans in general. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Veloci moved closer to the body. The woman was leaning forward, her head on the desk twisted to one side. Her throat had been ripped out and he could see the trachea underneath. Her left arm and right leg had been ripped clean off and the bone, muscle, and tendons underneath were exposed. He could see chew marks where the attacker, obviously an animal, had bitten. Her remaining right and left leg were still badly damaged, cut up in multiple places and some skin and flesh removed. There was a lot of blood around the area. And when he glanced at the ground, sure enough, there were some bloody footprints which quickly faded as they headed down the hallway.

"Very unusual." He said softly, narrowing his eyes. He continued to look at the body as one of the men started to leave, presumably to report the murder to the police.

There were some things about this kill that bothered him. The first one was why no one heard the attack. Humans had weak senses, but they weren't that weak. Surely someone should have heard this woman screaming for her life or the sound of the animal attacking. The roaring, the screaming, the banging, there's no way no one would have heard that unless the animal somehow killed in silence.

Another thing that bothered him was why the body wasn't consumed. Judging from the wounds, the attacker had to be rather large, perhaps larger than himself, and was obviously a carnivore. He couldn't fathom why it hadn't tried to eat the body and instead fled. During whatever struggle the woman had put up, it would have used up some calories and would have wanted to replenish them.

The last thing that troubled him were the footprints themselves. He would have expected the animal to have attacked and killed the woman and then ran out of the building, or wander Raptor Dyne aimlessly. But the footprints were headed down the direction where the nearest elevator was. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but he couldn't shake the fact that the nearest elevator happened to be the same one Axel had arrived in a while ago.

Frowning, he looked over at Dr. Axel. "I'll ask you this again, Axel, and this time answer me truthfully. Did you or did you not see some creature wandering in Raptor Dyne?"

"I already told you." Dr. Axel responded. "I didn't see a thing. I came in, spoke to the receptionist, then came down to talk to you."

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Veloci asked.

Axel walked up to him. "Yes. I'm quite sure."

Veloci looked back at the woman. Though he wasn't showing it, he was shocked that such an attack happened in his own building without him knowing about it. He had gone through great lengths to keeping it well protected, mainly for public image reasons. He wanted the building to seem like a welcoming place for new recruits.

Veloci turned his attention to Axel again. "What did you and the receptionist say to one another?"

Axel blinked, not understanding why he'd ask that question. "Well I came in and said I wanted to see you. She wanted to know if I had an appointment with you. I said no but that you wanted to see me anyway. She did let me go, though she didn't seem happy about letting me go in without an appointment."

Veloci narrowed his eyes. "That's strange... The receptionist knows I don't allow anyone to see me in Raptor Dyne without an appointment. And she's always obeyed that rule before."

Axel shrugged his shoulders. "I guess she decided to break that rule just this once."

"I guess..." Veloci said softly.

Axel might be correct. Maybe the receptionist had broken the rule today. But that didn't make that much sense. The receptionist was very strict about rules and he hadn't known her to break them before. There was something strange about Axel's story. But then again, Axel hadn't always been completely truthful to him, though none of the few lies she told him were that bad. And it didn't matter that much anyway if she had lied this time or not. It wasn't going to bring him closer to the killer.

Dr. Axel moved towards the body, looking at the different wounds. She shook her head slowly. "Whatever attacked her sure did a number on her."

"I can see that." Veloci said.

Axel looked up at the nearby clock. She stretched her arms and said, "Well I had better get going. My boss wanted me to check in on him sometime today. I best do that now and get it over with."

Before Axel could walk away, Veloci called out to her. "Wait! I still want to schedule a meeting with you."

"Really? I thought you told me everything." Axel asked.

"Yes, but our meeting was interrupted. I still want to discuss this with you further." Veloci said, adjusting his tie a little. "How about coming over tomorrow this afternoon? You can come in anytime past noon, though preferably before evening."

"Okay then. I'll see you around then." Axel said as she made her way out of the building.

___

"You did what?!" Moynihan shouted angrily, slamming her cane into the ground hard once. Her narrowed eyes were locked on Buzz, who was cowering in fear from her. Under the table nearby lay Rump, whimpering.

The Dino Squad had recently arrived at the lighthouse. When she noticed some of them looked as if they had new injuries, she was concerned and asked what had happened. When Buzz revealed he had killed an alimon they had encountered, she got very angry and had started to advance toward him. The others hung back, fearful of what she might do to them.

Buzz's eyes were downcast. "I-I'm sorry... I-I-I didn't mean to..."

But Moynihan was still angry with him. She slammed her cane again, causing Buzz to wince. She had now backed him up against the wall and he had nowhere to go. "I would have expect better from you, Mr. Buzmati! Now because of your reckless actions, we may have made enemies with these creatures, enemies, which I may add, we are not prepared to fight and know little about!"

"I know that...and I'm sorry!" Buzz cried, frantically looking for an escape route.

"That isn't going to help us now!" Moynihan yelled, lifting her cane and pointing the pointed end at Buzz. "Why did you have to be so foolish and kill that alimon?! Why didn't you think your actions through before you decided to rip its stomach open?!"

As she yelled at him, Buzz noticed something very familiar. Moynihan's eyes were starting to glow. "Moynihan..." He whispered fearfully.

Suddenly, Max, Rodger, and Caruso rushed forward. Caruso and Max each grabbed one of Moynihan's arms while Rodger wrapped his arms around her body. They then pulled her away from Buzz, allowing him to move away. Moynihan struggled in their grasp, but they held on tight. They were frightened to let her go.

"Let me go!" Moynihan commanded, her eyes still retaining the glow.

"No! Not until you calm down!" Rodger told her, tightening his grip slightly.

"You have to relax, Moynihan! You're acting too aggressively!" Caruso said.

Max said, "And you're being too hard on Buzz! It was just an accident! Buzz didn't mean to kill the alimon! He already feels bad enough as it is. You are only making it worse by yelling at him like that!"

Slowly, Moynihan's eyes returned to normal. Her angry expression faded away. She stopped her struggling and started to relax. The trio continued to hold onto her for a few more moments, making sure she had calmed down completely. Slowly, cautiously, they released her and took a few steps back. Moynihan looked over at Buzz and noticed how scared he looked from her outburst. She felt a pang of guilt in her heart.

"Oh Buzz, I'm sorry about the way I acted. I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I'm not sure what came over me." Moynihan said apologetically. Buzz offered her a small smile, which she did return. "But that doesn't change the seriousness of the matter. By killing that alimon, we may need to prepare for a retaliation from this alimon's pack. We don't know how many there are. There could be a few. There could be a ton. We'll have to prepare for the worst."

"Maybe we have nothing to worry about." Michelle said. She was sitting on the couch, feeling mostly better after being given medicine for the troodon bite. "Maybe these alimons don't know where the lighthouse is or where any of you live."

Caruso shook his head solemnly. He had a slightly frightened expression on his face. "The alimon we recently encountered confirmed they know a lot more about us than we think. They may know where we all live."

"Did the alimon tell you what it knew?" Michelle inquired.

Caruso shook his head. "No, not really. But that's not the point. My point is they could know anything about us. They might only know small details of us or they might know a lot more."

"My question is how do they know all this?" Fiona asked, frowning a bit. "I mean, how could they know so much about us, but we know almost nothing of them? How come we haven't heard of them until recently? Where had they been hiding all this time?"

"All excellent questions.." Moynihan commented. "And I'm sure we'll get the answers in due time. But for now, we will have to exercise more caution. Be wary of any alimon you see. Fight only if there is no option left. Defend yourselves and your families and your friends. And tell no one about this. I can't stress enough the importance of avoiding causing a public-wide panic. That will create more harm than good."

Max nodded his head slowly. "We understand." He let out a soft sigh and glanced away, his mind lost in thought. He couldn't understand why that white alimon had attacked him so suddenly. All he wanted to do was introduce himself to him.

Rodger walked up to him. "Now do you agree we should avoid any future contact with these alimons?"

Max looked over at him. Slowly he frowned and nodded his head. "Yes."

___

The large cavern filled with alimons was unusually quiet. The mulicolored animals had their heads turned facing one of the entrances to the area. High above them, their leaders, covered in shadows, were watching in anticipation. A white and green male alimon was walking in from an entrance slowly. His head was low to the ground. As he got into the light of the cavern, the alimons could see why. He was dragging a body with him. As he dragged the dead female further into the cavern, the alimons around him had different reactions, most of them growls and hisses.

On the high ledge, a pair of red eyes widened in shock. The male alimon lowered his head slightly and said, "Tamal, what happened to her?!"

The green and white alimon, Tamal, released the body and looked up. "Staka was killed by the Dino Squad!" The alimons around him started chatting excitedly, some expressing anger while others were simply shocked. "I heard screaming and went to investigate and when I got there, I found her dead and three of the Dino Squad members fleeing the scene! There's no doubt they killed her!"

Within a flash, the male that had spoken earlier suddenly jumped from the ledge. Tamal backed up as a dark blue and grey alimon landed in front of him, teeth bared. "Staka was one of our best scouts! She was also a capable fighter.. how could she lose to those weaklings?!"

"I don't know." Tamal said, looking confused himself. "But it doesn't matter how she was killed."

"You're right..it doesn't.." The male hissed. He lifted his head up high. "We all agreed we wouldn't attack the Dino Squad until they got in the way. Well today, they took the life of one of our own! As we were all taught, mess with one of us, you mess with all of us! The Dino Squad just opened themselves a can of worms!" Many of the alimons expressed their agreements.

"Rorra, are you sure it is wise to declare war on these children?" The white male high on the ledge was looking down at him, his red eyes narrowed.

Rorra, the grey and dark blue alimon, glared up at the white alimon. "Oh spare me your petty talk! The Dino Squad have made their move! They have gotten in our way! Time of biding our time is over! We knew from the start these kids were going to be trouble, so let's strike them now while they are still weak and kill them all!"

The white male jumped from the ledge as well. Now in the light, it was revealed he was almost solid white except for his grey paws. He smiled softly as he moved in closer to Rorra. He lifted a paw and struck him down easily. Rorra hissed in pain as the white male stood over him in a dominant posture. "In case you forgot, while you may have one of the highest authorities in this pack, keep in mind I have the highest authority of all and I can veto any decision you make! Understand?"

Rorra hissed. "Yes..."

The white male smiled. "Good." He got off of Rorra, then turned to address the rest of the pack. "I understand many of you are angered the Dino Squad had killed one of our own people. But I assure you attacking them at full force now will be a huge mistake. We can't waste all our efforts into wiping out a group of teenagers. Don't forget we have other targets of high priority, not just these teenagers." The alimons seemed to settle down. The white male smirked. "But rest assured the Dino Squad won't be getting away from this so easily..."

___

Two days later, Moynihan and the Dino Squad arrived in Illinois, having taken their bio-fueled airplane there. Moynihan had insisted on seeing an old friend of hers who worked at a school there. She wanted to bring them along not just to introduce them to him, but also to have them help relay some important information to her friend. Although seemingly just a teacher like she was, she said her friend was more capable than he appeared and also knew about the primordial ooze and Veloci's plans, but keeps it a secret so he wouldn't lose his job. The Dino Squad weren't entirely sure what to expect from this guy, but trusted Moynihan.

They entered a medium-sized, one-floor school located in the southern end of Illinois. Moynihan led them down the hallway. A bunch of students, most of them younger than any of her students, were wandering the halls, chattering with each other, others looking at them with great interest. It didn't take long for Moynihan to find the room she had been looking for. There was a plague on the door that read 'Mr. Stone'. She knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Said a voice from behind the door. Moynihan opened it and stepped inside. Near the door was a desk and sitting at it was a middle-aged man with grey hair and grey shirt with a white tie. The man looked shocked. "Ms. Moynihan! I never thought I'd see you pay me a visit again." He said.

"Yes, it has been a long time. I apologize." Moynihan said. "But you know how things are..."

"Yes, yes I know." Mr. Stone said, sounding pleasantly surprised by the visit. He moved his head a little and saw a glimpse of something behind the woman. "And these are your students I presume? Come in, come in!" Slowly, the seven students walked into the room.

"Hello, Mr. Stone." Max said, greeting him. He was about to say something else, but was distracted by the noise of the students in the room.

Noticing this, Mr. Stone held up his hand and said, "I'm letting you students go onto the playground early today." The young students exited the room excitedly, pushing past the Dino Squad. Once they were gone, Stone turned his attention to Moynihan. His expression turned serious. "Now why did you come here? I know you wouldn't come all the way to Illinois just to pay me a visit. Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Ms. Moynihan nodded her head. "Right you are. I don't suppose you've seen the news haven't you? Of what's been going on in Maine?"

Stone replied, "I believe so. There's been murders going on there last I checked. And no one has figured out what it was yet."

"That's what we've come to talk to you about." Moynihan moved closer over to Stone. "I wanted to know if you have seen any strange going on in this area. I haven't seen any reports of these strange murders taking place in Illinois, but I wanted a second opinion. Have you come across any bodies here? Or have you encountered any strange creatures?"

Stone frowned, thinking for a moment. "No I can't say I have see anything strange. The only murders around here are the usual. Nothing like what's being reported in Maine." He leaned back in his chair. "And of these strange creatures, what are you talking about?"

Max took a step forward. "Are you aware of the new dinosaur species that's been discovered?" Stone nodded his head once. "Well we've come to believe that the murders are being committed by these animals."

Mr. Stone blinked. "But how is that possible? Those animals must be millions of years old."

"I understand your disbelief, but we've seen them with our own eyes. And we've seen how violent they can be." Max said. "We've encountered a few of them. They call themselves alimons."

Mr. Stone's eyes widened at this. He seemed to take a sudden interest. He leaned forward on his desk. "Alimons you say?" He seemed to be in disbelief, almost as if he had heard the name before. He hesitated momentarily and then asked something that took everyone by surprise. "Did they have a distinctive scar on one of their shoulders?"

Flabbergasted, Fiona said, "Y-Yes.. how did you know that?"

"You hadn't even seen them.." Rodger said, sounding equally shocked. "There's no way you could have known."

Mr. Stone closed his eyes. "I have my ways, but unfortunately I can't tell you about it now." He reopened them and looked at the students and their teacher. He seemed to understand their shock of him knowing about the scar if he had never seen any of these creatures before. "I assure you everything will make sense in due time. Right now what's important is not how I know about the scar, but how you plan on dealing with these alimon creatures."

Trying to get over his initial shock, Max said quickly, "I did try to introduce myself to one, white in color with some light blue, but he attacked me, and then tried to attack Michelle."

Michelle nodded her head. "It's true. He tried to attack me because I was weak at the time. He almost would have, too, had Rodger and Buzz not knock him away in time."

Mr. Stone nodded his head slowly. He didn't sound surprised by any of this. "Is there anything else you can tell me about these creatures you encountered?"

"Well they were aggressive and arrogant." Buzz commented.

"Yeah, they didn't seem to take us seriously as opponents." Terri said. "One of them had even commented that Veloci would be no match for them."

"Which I don't see how, considering the guy has a lot of resources at his disposal." Rodger pointed out. "And he has a lot of men working for him. If those alimons went up against him, they would probably get captured really quickly."

Mr. Stone shook his head, his eyes closed briefly. "I don't think so. It's very likely that Veloci can try to capture them, only to have it quickly backfire on him. He would be a fool to try to capture one of them, let alone a group of them." He looked at the team and said, "Do yourselves a favor and avoid them at all costs. Trust me, you don't want to get entangled with them."

The Dino Squad were still stunned by Mr. Stone's knowledge of the creatures. They suspected that he had an encounter with them himself sometime earlier. Perhaps the creatures appeared in Illinois first, but didn't cause a big enough riot to make the papers. They realized that Stone probably had encountered them several times before they started showing up in Maine. If Stone really did know about the alimons, perhaps he could be more of a help than they initially thought.

Caruso frowned slightly. "I'm afraid it's a little too late to take your advice."

Mr. Stone looked up at Caruso. "What do you mean?"

Buzz hesitated, then glanced to the ground. "I...accidentally killed one..."

Mr. Stone's eyes flew open. "You did what?!" He immediately got up from his seat and stormed towards Buzz. He grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him roughly. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Moynihan quickly moved in and pushed Mr. Stone away from Buzz. "Mr. Stone!" She said, her voice full of shock and disappointment. "I would've expected better behavior from you!"

Mr. Stone sighed softly. "Yes, I know that." He cleared his throat and frowned deeply. "Still, this is a very serious matter."

Moynihan nodded. "Yes I do realize that, and so do my students. There's nothing we can do now to change what Buzz did. And even though it was just an accident, we are all fully aware we will live to regret it."

Stone shook his head slowly, his voice growing darker. "Oh no..you aren't going to live to regret it. You're not going to live period..."


	12. New Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

The Dino Squad felt intimidated by Stone's words and his sudden change in attitude. He had started off seemingly friendly and warm, but now he has quickly grown serious and seemingly somewhat cold after he found out about their encounters with alimons, and especially after finding out what Buzz had accidentally killed one. Even Moynihan was a bit taken aback by his behavior.

She thought briefly of just leaving and trying to talk to Stone another time, but she realized that might not be a wise decision. They might not get another chance to speak to Stone if something were to go horribly wrong. She glanced over at her students. They had become noticeably nervous about being around Stone because of the last thing he had said.

She turned back to Stone. "What do you mean by that?"

Mr. Stone narrowed his eyes at her. "Just what I said. By killing that one alimon of that particular pack, you pretty much just signed your own graves. I'm sorry if I'm frightening you, but I'm telling you this for your own good. This pack doesn't take defeat lightly, and once word spreads that one of you killed a member of their pack, they'll seek revenge, and trust me, they are relentless when it comes to that." He interlocked his fingers together and rested them on his desk. "I don't suppose you have a plan to deal with that, do you?" The Dino Squad just looked at each other and Moynihan couldn't think of what to say. "I didn't think so."

After a moment of silence, Max spoke up. "Well we could try talking to them." He felt it was worth a try. If the creatures were sentient, then surely they would listen to reason. He recalled how the brown female told the white male that their leader didn't want to engage them in the first place.

Fiona nodded, agreeing with Max's idea. "I don't like these alimon creatures that much, but we might be able to talk to them. Maybe we can convince them not to attack us." She wasn't really sure how well that plan would go over, but she felt it was better than risking death fighting them, especially when they have no idea how large the pack was. And if just one alimon gave them trouble, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know how much trouble more of them would cause.

Not everyone was so convinced with the idea. Terri said, "How do we know they'll listen to us? Do we really want to chance talking to them?"

Caruso nodded in agreement. "After what happened, I'm not sure if we should risk talking to them. If what Mr. Stone says is right, they will most likely kill us first then ask questions later."

"You are very right in that." Mr. Stone said. His tone was somewhat lighter than it was before, but still held seriousness in it. "I'm afraid these alimons are not the listening type. You kill one of them, and that's it. They're through listening and will prefer to bite you than talk to you. I strongly recommend you stay away from them."

While some of the Dino Squad agreed with Stone, others were unsure with his advice, particularly Max. Earlier he had agreed with Rodger about avoiding the alimons, but now he was having second thoughts on that. He still had an interest in talking to the alimons and trying to set things right. Though at the same time, he did understand the dangers of these animals and sometimes felt that maybe their idea of avoiding them was better.

Ms. Moynihan wasn't entirely sure what to do. On the one hand, she did like Max's idea of talking to the alimons. They were intelligent after all, based on what she observed in the purple female alimon. They might be interested in discussion to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. But on the other hand, she didn't want to do anything to risk the lives of her students. After nearly losing them to Veloci, she become more protective of them. The alimons may very well be more dangerous than Veloci and be more likely to kill one of her students. She couldn't have that.

"We'll take your advice into consideration." She said after a few minutes of thinking. "Is there anything else you want to tell us about the alimons?"

Mr. Stone shook his head. "I told you all you need to know at the moment. Maybe later I'll reveal more to you. But now is not the time; there'll be another time for talk." He glanced up at the clock. "Playground time will be over soon and I must get back to my work. Ms. Moynihan, I trust that you will keep me informed of the alimon situation. No matter how small it is, please let me know."

Moynihan nodded. "I'll be sure to do that."

Mr. Stone smiled. "Thank you." He looked at the students. "And I'm sorry for frightening you like that. I was just worried about what might happen to you. Take care of yourselves. Goodbye!"

The Dino Squad smiled back then turned and walked out of the room with Moynihan, shutting the door behind them. As they walked down the hallway, Moynihan couldn't help but feel the meeting was a bit of a failure. She hadn't anticipated the meeting would go that way and she didn't realize they'd get that kind of reaction from him about the alimons. She hoped to talk to him more in the future, though. He seemed to know an awful lot about the alimons, so his information may prove useful. Still, she wondered how he knew so much about the alimons...

___

"Prepare the specimen." Veloci said as he stood a good distance away from a group of his scientists. In front of them was a large table with a small batch of primordial ooze close by. Another scientist approached, rolling what appeared to be a large, flat rectangle on a set of wheels. The scientist placed it next to the table and opened it up, revealing a nearly complete skeleton of a smilodon. Veloci nodded his head. "Proceed."

One of the scientists picked up the primordial ooze and went over to the skeleton. With a strong jerk, he dumped a good portion of the ooze all over the skeleton. The scientists and Veloci waited and watched to see what would happen. The skeleton glowed at first, lasting several seconds. The glowing grew slightly more intense as what looked like an outline of light enveloped the skeleton. Veloci smiled, thinking that maybe he created the type of ooze that he wanted to resurrect dinosaur skeletons into their original, fleshy, glorious selves.

But then something went wrong. Much to Veloci's dismay, the skeleton had started to melt down. The ooze rapidly ate away at the bone, quickly turning it to mush. The bone liquid dripped off the table and hit the hard floor. Some of the scientists backed away, fearful that the liquid may be acidic. Sure enough some of the drops of liquid left burn marks on the floor and steam rose up from the mushy pile. Then it quickly stopped and the liquid seemed to harden.

Veloci groaned in disappointment and anger. "That's the third time today this has happened. At this rate, I'll use up all those mammalian fossils before the ooze is perfect." He turned to his scientists. "Don't just stand there! Clean up this mess before I give you something else to clean up!" His eyes glowed slightly at that threat. The scientists immediately did what they were told and began to clean up the bone mess.

"Sorry to interrupt you, sir." One of his subordinates said, approaching him cautiously. "But Dr. Axel has finally arrived."

"It's about time!" Veloci growled. "I told her to come here yesterday, but she never showed up!"

"She says she was booked the other day and couldn't make it." The subordinate said.

"She could have at least called. Irresponsible human..." Veloci hissed as he pushed past his subordinate and went into the elevator. He knew Dr. Axel would be in a particular room he had set aside for them to discuss in private. He had told his other men to stay away from the room while they talked to ensure privacy.

It didn't take him long to arrive at the room. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Axel was sitting on the one table in the room, smiling at him as he went over and sat down. The room wasn't very large, but the walls were pretty thick, making it hard to eavesdrop. He felt that using one of the larger rooms would have been a waste since it was just him and Axel talking. He was eager to talk to her more about the alimons, a name that Axel had coined herself for the species.

"So have you heard anything new?" Dr. Axel said, immediately breaking the silence of the room. She looked eager to hear what Veloci had to say.

"The only thing recent I have heard is what happened to one of my workers, Oscura." Veloci explained. He knew he couldn't reveal all the details to Axel, so he hoped she wouldn't question it too much. The last thing she needed to know was that Oscura was a dinosaur. "She said she encountered one late last night. Blue and white one, she said. It attacked her and knocked her out. Apparently it spared her life since she's still part of the team now."

Dr. Axel cocked an eyebrow. "Blue and white one you say? Hmm... I didn't think alimons would be that color. You'd think that, if they were predators, they'd have more camouflage-type colors."

"Unless they're such terrific hunters that they don't need camouflage." Veloci pointed out. "I believe that if a carnivore is really good at what it does, it doesn't need camouflage to kill its prey. It could use some other method of hunting."

Dr. Axel smirked at this and chuckled. "I was thinking the same thing, actually."

Veloci said, "You were?"

She nodded. "Of course! Not all hunters are so greatly camouflaged. I mean, look at human hunters! They were brightly colored clothing when they hunt, and they stick out like sore thumbs." She then frowned, like she felt that wasn't a good example. "But then again, mammals don't have that great of color vision. Humans and other primates have the best color vision of mammals, but most mammals see little or no color at all. So maybe I didn't pick such a great example."

Veloci nodded his head. He would have pointed out the color vision himself, but was a bit impressed that Dr. Axel quickly caught on to her mistake. A shame there aren't many humans out there like her. "I still understand what you meant. Anyway, have you learned anything new about alimons?"

Axel shook her head. "Just what I told you before, sorry. We haven't found any new specimens and right now the bones are being CAT scanned, so I can't look at them now. My fellow paleontologists are interested to know about the brain case and senses of the alimon. If our hunch is right, it should have some highly developed senses and a well developed brain. So I doubt it'll be as large as a human brain."

"Of course not..." Veloci said, sounding somewhat annoyed. Axel looked at him somewhat confused, and he quickly continued the topic. "Now then, when do you hope to get the results?"

"Probably sometime this week, or as early as today." Dr. Axel said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "To be honest, I don't know much about that area, surprisingly. I guess I just never bothered to pay attention. Some paleontologist I am." She chuckled at herself. "I'm still not sure how these animals are still alive today. But based on what you told me, I don't see what other creature it could possibly be. There's no other dinosaur skeleton that fits that description. There are the mammal-like reptiles from before the dinosaurs, but none of them fit the physical description of what you told me. You say you haven't encountered any yet?"

Veloci shook his head. "No I have not not, at least not yet. I have sent out one of my workers to capture one, and she failed. Then I sent out two of my workers to capture another one, and they failed."

"Pardon me for asking, but why do you want to catch one?" Axel asked in a confused tone.

"I want to study it." Veloci said. "Observe it, take some tissue sample and look at it. See what it's capable of. I assure you I'm only doing it for the good of the planet. We might benefit from these alimons some how. I don't know how, but I may figure it out once I get a live specimen. Dead specimen may work, but I would prefer a live one."

Dr. Axel stared at him for a few moments. She then leaned closer on the desk. "Do you have any way to contain these animals? They might be too strong for a businessman like you to handle."

Veloci smiled confidently. "I have my ways, trust me. I'll be able to handle it."

Dr. Axel smirked somewhat darkly. "We'll see about that..."

Veloci blinked. "What do you mean?"

Axel just shrugged and giggled innocently. "Oh nothing, just messing with you that's all." Her eyes seem to light up. "Oh! I almost forgot! An old friend of mine wants to stop by and speak with you. He says it's really important."

"About what?" Veloci asked, raising an eyebrow.

Axel shrugged. "I think it has to do with the alimons, but he didn't tell me directly. He wants to meet with you in the next few days, tomorrow hopefully. He said you won't regret it."

Veloci wasn't entirely sure about this. He wasn't happy about meeting with a human in Raptor Dyne that he never heard of before. He wondered if he could trust this friend of Axel's. Then again, if he really was her friend, maybe he could trust him, or at least give him a chance. Besides, what could the human do to him? He could easily rip him apart of he needed to.

"All right then. Tell him I'll meet with him in three days. I'm currently working on something and have a meeting I need to attend." Veloci responded, smiling.

___

The following morning, the bell in the school in Kittery Point started to ring. The outside of the building still had some shadows, but was still illuminated by the morning light. The parking lot was mostly empty, but more cars kept pulling in. A few students on their bikes or scooters also arrived. Soon the parking lot was filled, bustling with life as students and teachers entered the school to start another day.

A few minutes later, the Dino Squad arrived on their motorbikes. They entered the parking lot, stopping for students who were walking by, and went over to the bike rack. They jumped off and locked their bikes to the rack. They then joined the other students, walking up into the building as the bell continued to ring.

As they entered, a pair of eyes watched them and the students. Standing at the entrance of the school was a relatively young-looking man. He looked young enough to be a student and even looked the part. He wore a slightly dirty white shirt with orange stripes and blue jeans. He was somewhat thin and looked a little weak. But his face held determination, as if he could take anything that came his way. He had his hands in his pockets as he approached the school.

"Are you sure we're allowed in the school?" Said a voice behind him. "You never know with these schools. They may have a policy against visitors." The voice belonged to another man, this one looking slightly older and more fleshed out. He wore a sleeveless yellow shirt with green baggy pants. His hair was shorter and messier than the other man.

"Of course! Why not?" The other man said, smiling. He looked over at him and said, "You shouldn't be all that concerned if we're allowed or not. What's the worse they can do? Kick us out?"

The man with the yellow shirt shrugged. "Well you've got a point there. Why did our boss want us to come here anyway?"

"He already told you!" The other man said, shaking his head. "And you know very well what we have to do! So just come on!" He grabbed the other man roughly and pulled him towards the school and went inside.

___

A couple hours later, the Dino Squad were hanging out in the library. They all had gotten passes to come here. Today, to their luck, the library was largely empty. The only other students in the room were busy listening to music to pay any attention to them. They wanted a quiet place to discuss what happened to them over the past few days with the alimons. They didn't have much time, so they did their best to keep the conversation short and to pay attention to the time.

They sat at the long table in the center of the library. They sat next to each other, some sitting across the table. Normally they would sit further apart to make them look less conspicuous to their fellow students, but since there was not a lot of people in today, they felt they didn't have to do that today.

"Why are you still determined to talk to one of the alimons?" Rodger asked, narrowing his eyes a little. "I thought you agreed to avoid them."

"That was before I realized that..." Max tried to say, but he couldn't think of how to word it. He muttered a few indistinguishable words before finally saying something. "Look it doesn't matter why I changed my mind. We should try to talk to them again. Maybe we will have better luck..."

"Or maybe we'll just get ourselves killed! Seriously, Max, don't forget what Mr. Stone told us!" Caruso said.

"I don't care what Mr. Stone says!" Max blurted out. He widened his eyes when he said that. "Well what I meant to say is what if he's wrong?"

Terri said, "And what if he's not? Don't forget our previous encounters with them. All of them had wanted to attack us."

Max nodded his head slowly. "That's true, but..." Then he realized something. There was something he had almost forgotten about one of their alimon encounters, something he felt was important. He immediately slammed a hand on the table to get full attention from his friends. "No, that's not true!"

"What's not true?" Fiona asked.

"Not all the alimons wanted to attack us!" Max declared.

"What are you talking about?" Caruso asked, narrowing his eyes. "All three of them had attacked us!"

"Yes, but only two started it initially, remember?" Max said, looking at his friends, hoping to convince those who doubted him that not all the alimons wanted to fight. "Remember the female alimon you killed, Buzz? She didn't want to fight us. She even tried to get the white male to stop fighting us."

Buzz nodded slowly. "Yes but she still attacked us."

"Only because we made the mistake of trying to get information from her. We initiated the fight, Buzz, not her." Max said. He was starting to feel guilty about the way he had acted. They could have avoided the accidental killing if he had just let the alimon go. But he was so determined to get information they ended up starting a fight that resulted in the death of the alimon. "If we had just let her go, we could have avoided the fight altogether."

Buzz lowered his head slightly, feeling bad himself. "Yeah, that's true."

Caruso frowned slightly. "You do have a point there." But he wasn't fully convinced. "Still, we couldn't have known if the alimon would attack us or not. Maybe she wanted the white male to leave so she can attack us herself."

"Caruso may be right." Rodger said.

"And he might not." Max said, leaning forward on the table. "I still believe that we can still talk to them. Not doing so may make the situation worse."

"While you might be right," Fiona said, turning her head to Caruso, and then looking back at Max. "But what if Caruso is right? What if we can't talk to these alimons? What if we'd quickly live to regret it?"

As the Dino Squad continued to debate on what to do, the door to the library opened again and two figures stepped inside. They were the same people that were outside the school earlier. They walked further into the library and looked around. The Dino Squad quickly noticed them and kept their mouths shut, hoping the two men wouldn't take notice them. The two men looked around the library, looking as if they were interested in the structure of the room.

The two men spent a few moments seemingly admiring the room when they looked over and noticed the students on the table. They seemed confused as to why so many were huddled so close together on the table. They walked slowly towards them, looking at each student with curiosity. The Dino Squad stared back, wondering what the two men wanted. They hadn't seen them before and couldn't tell if they were new students, new teachers, or merely visitors.

"Hello there." The man wearing the white shirt said, running his fingers through his blond hair. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I was wondering if you students knew where Ms. Moynihan was."

Max hesitated for a moment. "Ms. Moynihan? Why?"

The blond man smiled. "I just happen to be the father of one of her students, believe it or not. I just wanted to talk to her about my son's grades."

"Uh huh..and why is he here?" Max asked, pointing at the short-haired man behind him.

"Oh him? He just decided to tag along." He ruffled the other man's hair playfully. "He and I are good buddies. He likes to come with me everywhere!" He chuckled.

The short-haired man looked slightly annoyed and pushed his hand away. "Okay, you don't need to keep doing that!"

"I think you two are better off setting a meeting with her." Fiona said. "You can probably talk to the principal and he might be able to arrange a time you can come in. It'll probably have to be tomorrow though."

"All right then. Thanks!" The blond man said as he and his friend turned and walked away.

When they were a good distance away, near the door, the short-haired man glared up at the other man. "Did you have to..."

The blond man elbowed him hard. "Shhh!"

Michelle called out to them suddenly. "Hey, what are your names?"

"Our names? It's Mr. Haze and Mr. Asymal... why?" The blond man, Mr. Asymal, asked.

"So I can inform Ms. Moynihan of your interest on meeting with her, just in case you aren't able to arrange anything." Michelle said, smiling as sweetly as she could.

"Ah.. thanks." Asymal said as he and Haze walked out of the door.


	13. Cloak Unveiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

As the two men walked out of the door, the Dino Squad kept their eyes on them. There was something odd about the two men, but they didn't know what it was. They had never seen these two men before, not just in the school, but anywhere else. But they didn't dwell on it for too long. Seeing someone in the school they had never seen before didn't come off as too strange for them. It happened all the time. Right now, they wanted to focus on more urgent issues.

"I understand where you guys are coming from. I admit I'm not entirely sure myself of these alimons." Max said. He let out a soft sigh. "But I still feel we should be at least willing to talk to them if they are willing to speak with us."

"Yeah, but the keyword there is 'if', Max." Caruso said, gesturing with his hand. "So far, none of the alimons we encountered showed any interest in wanting to speak with us."

"And besides," Rodger said, joining in. "..even if they wanted to speak to us, how can we be sure they are being sincere? They could lead us into a state of false security and then strike."

Max shook his head slowly. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could say to convince his friends. Still he felt he should at least try. He remembered when Michelle was trying to help them and Rodger and Buzz refusing to give her a second chance caused more problems than it solved. He was determined to make sure they didn't suffer a repeat of that. He interlocked his fingers and rested his two hands on the table. "I hate to bring this up, especially to you, Buzz and Rodger, but remember when, before Michelle joined us, she tried to offer her help, but you two wouldn't listen to her? You kept insisting that she was trying to trick us, that we shouldn't trust anything she said regardless of what it was, unless it fit your view of how she was. Yet as it turns out, her efforts to help us had been sincere, and she even almost lost her life trying to protect Caruso."

Buzz and Rodger looked at each other and lowered their heads. Michelle's eyes widened slightly and she turned to Buzz and Rodger. The three of them still remembered how they used to treat her and never completely forgot it. Fiona and Caruso also remembered, looking at Buzz, then Rodger, then Michelle. They looked back at Max, their expressions having softened up a little. The only one who didn't remember this as well was Terri since she wasn't a full-time member of the Dino Squad at the time.

Thinking he had their attention, Max continued with his speech. "Do you think it's wise for us to risk to have something similar happen again? Michelle tried to help us, yet you two..." He looked at Buzz and Rodger. "..kept telling us how she was too dangerous and were so determined to get even with her, and if we had listened to you, know what would have happened? It's very possible we all would have been killed!" Buzz and Rodger lowered their heads. "And I know what you might be thinking, that it's different because Michelle is a human and the alimons are some strange dinos. But Moynihan is a dinosaur too, and you don't seem to hold any prejudice against her because of it. It's clear that the alimons are just as sentient as she is, just like all of us, and if the leader didn't want to attack us, maybe they do have a sense of morals. The least we can do is to give them the benefit of the doubt. It may seem too late because of our recent fights, but I still believe there's still time."

Buzz rubbed the back of his head. "I think I get your point. But I'm still not so sure about these alimons. I'm sorry, Max."

"Yeah..I agree with Buzz. But if it makes you feel better, if an alimon wants to talk to me, I'll talk with them." Rodger said.

Max sighed. This was probably as far as he was going to get with these guys. "Okay then..." He was about to continue when the bell rang. The meeting was over. They had to get back to class. "Well see you guys back in class." He said as he and the others got out of their seats and left the library.

___

Later that night, after the Dino Squad left after another afternoon of training, Michelle decided to talk to Moynihan about the men from the library. Moynihan hadn't really mentioned anything about meeting with someone, so she wondered if she had gotten the word or not. After she was finished sweeping the kitchen and vacuuming the living room, she headed up the stairs. She knew Moynihan would be up there, watching the monitors. She had been doing this more often since the first alimon attack.

Michelle made her way up the long, spiral staircase until she reached the top room. Sure enough, Moynihan was sitting at the monitors, a cup of tea sitting next to her. On the floor near her was Rump. The white dog had his head down and appeared to be asleep. But when Michelle got close, Rump perked his head up to look at her before putting his head back down.

"What is it, Michelle?" Moynihan asked without turning around.

Michelle blinked in surprise. "How did you know it was me?"

Moynihan turned around. "You're the only one here." She said, smiling. "Who else could it be?"

Michelle smiled back, chuckling. "Oh..yeah... How silly of me..."

"So was there something you wanted to tell me?" Moynihan asked.

Michelle nodded her head. She pulled over a spare chair and sat down near the old woman. "Have you gotten word about a couple of men wanting to meet with you?"

Moynihan nodded. "Yes, I have. The spoke with the principal before I left the school. He informed me of those two. He said they wanted to speak with me because of a kid... but..."

Michelle tilted her head slightly. "But what?"

Moynihan replied, "I don't have a student with the last name of Asymal. Perhaps the child is adopted, but still, you would think I would have seen them before, like during parent teacher conferences."

Michelle nodded her head. "Yeah...that's true. And you say you never saw them before?"

The old woman shook her head. "No, never did. Strange isn't it?"

"Yes, that is strange..." Michelle said, her voice sounding concerned. "Does that seem..suspicious to you? Two men you never saw before wanting to speak to you about a student of yours?"

Moynihan thought for a moment. "Well I suppose it can be viewed as suspicious. But I have heard of parents who refuse to attend parent teacher conferences, or coming to the school in general. So it's not too unusual to never see a child's parent or guardian."

Michelle nodded her head. She knew Moynihan had a good point. There was probably nothing to be too concerned about with the two men. Yet there was still something about them she didn't like. "I just..don't know if I like the idea of them speaking with you alone. What if they are up to no good? What if they tried to..do something?"

Moynihan could sense the concern in Michelle's voice. She got up from her chair and walked over to Michelle. "Are you worried they might try to..hurt me?"

Michelle nodded her head. "Yeah I know it's silly of me to think that. There had been many other people who wanted to talk to you and they never tried to hurt you. But I guess the past alimon attacks have put me more on edge. I know these men aren't alimons, but still..." She sighed. "I-I just don't think they should speak to you alone..not now."

Moynihan looked at her sympathetically. She understood how Michelle was feeling. Ever since she adopted Michelle after she risked her life to save them from Veloci, the girl had grown more protective of her. It was not overbearing, and Michelle understood that she could take care of herself. But that didn't stop Michelle from showing concern, sometimes more than what was necessary.

She took a step closer to Michelle and put a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing will happen to me. I promise that. You don't need to worry about me."

Michelle lowered her head. "Yeah..I know... I just don't want anything to happen to you."

Moynihan smiled softly. "If it will make you feel better, I'll take some precautions before meeting with these people."

Michelle nodded her head. "Yeah, that makes me feel better." She wrapped her arms around Moynihan and hugged her. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome." Moynihan whispered as she hugged Michelle back. She planted a kiss on Michelle's forehead before pulling away from her, but kept her hands on her shoulders. "Now why don't you go to bed now? A good night's sleep may help you feel better."

"Yeah..good idea." Michelle said. She got up from her seat. "Goodnight, Ms. Moynihan."

"Goodnight, Michelle." Moynihan said, watching Michelle leave the room. When she was gone, she turned back to the monitor. Her mind went back to what Michelle had said. She frowned softly. She glanced down at Rump. "Looks like you're coming with me to the meeting. I think I can convince the principal to let me bring you in." She said, smirking. Rump just twitched his ear and slept.

___

Veloci sat in his dinosaur chair, waiting with anticipation as Kista and Peter were returning from their latest mission. The radars had detected the presence of another one of those creatures, an alimon as Axel liked to refer to them too. He wanted Kista and Peter to bring in the alimon before Dr. Axel arrived so she would be able to examine a live specimen. In preparation for the meeting possibly taking place down here, Veloci had his men hide all of his experiments and weapons in a secluded area so she wouldn't know about them.

He had half-expected the mission to be a failure again. But to his delight and surprise, Peter had called him and told him it was a success. They tranquilized the alimon and placed it in a large cage complete with thick bars with electricity running through them. Veloci told them to bring the animal in immediately. This was about half an hour ago. They would be arriving any moment. Dr. Axel would be arriving shortly after if she sticks to her schedule.

He heard the sound of the large doors opening up. He turned his head to see Peter and Kista coming in, pulling a large cage behind them. Inside the cage was, just as they said, an alimon. It was curled up, its eyes closed. Obviously it was still under the effect of the drug. He got up from his chair and walked over.

The animal appeared to be black in color with some white coloring. It had stiff feathers sticking out the back of its neck. He noticed the long, somewhat square-off muzzle with three teeth poking out on each side. It had a somewhat long neck and an even longer tail. It had four claws on each paw. It had an opposable digit on its two front paws. There was no doubt about it.

This was the same animal that Dr. Axel had studied fossils from. "Interesting..." He muttered to himself. Unlike him, Moynihan, and Kista, there was no evidence of the alimons having a human form. They must have survived millions of years undetected without the use of a disguise. He smirked. He wouldn't have expected less from a fellow dinosaur.

Just then, the alimon seemed to come to. Its eyes opened up and stared up at him, one glowing light blue and the other glowing light grey. The alimon slowly stood up, albeit slightly shaky from the drug, and stared around at its surroundings. It looked genuinely pissed off and bared its teeth. It quickly moved towards where Veloci was, but then immediately stopped. It stared at the bars for several moments, a quizzical look on its face. It was as if it sensed something wrong with the bars. As if to prove this, the alimon brought its tail towards one of the bars and lightly touched it. It winced as electricity crackled, stinging it. It hissed and backed away from the bars immediately, keeping its limbs well out of reach.

"Fascinating." Veloci said, looking impressed. "This creature seems to recognize a potential hazard far quicker than most animals I've dealt with, and learns from the first try. Instead of injuring itself further from repeated attempts, it gives up right away, probably to wait until a more..opportune time."

Peter wiped his brow. "I hope this was worth it. This animal was not that easy to catch."

Kista chuckled. "True, but it was still exciting! I can see why the Dino Squad had a difficult time with fighting one of these things."

Peter rolled his eyes. He turned his head towards the alimon. "I'm not sure why you were so happy about fighting this thing." He would never understand Kista. She just had a bizarre personality that even sometimes took Veloci himself by surprise. He almost felt sorry for Oscura who had to live with her. He then sniffed something bad and covered his nose. "Couldn't we at least give this thing a bath? It smells like it rolled in roadkill."

The alimon's eyes dilated and it brought its face as close to the bars as it could and let out a loud hiss. It pulled its lips back, exposing its large teeth and gums. Peter looked at the animal in shock and quickly backed away. The alimon continued to stare at him, its eyes narrowed. It growled for several moments before it finally looked away and laid back down.

Kista chuckled at this. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that animal could understand you." She said, amused.

"Impossible. It probably just doesn't like me." Peter said, glaring softly at the alimon. "It's not intelligent enough to understand human speech."

"Nonsense." Veloci said as he moved in a bit closer. He looked at the alimon as he spoke. "There are animals today who can learn to understand human speech."

"Yes, but those animals are trained to. There's no telling if this creature ever encountered humans before." Peter said.

Veloci turned to him. "And there's still a chance that it did encounter humans." He looked back at the creature. "Dinosaurs are a lot smarter than what you humans think. Don't underestimate their intelligence."

The elevator doors, just then, opened up. Dr. Axel walked inside. She quickly noticed the cage with the black and white alimon in it. Her eyes widened slightly and she walked towards it. She was about to touch the cage when she noticed a sign on it that said it was electrified. She pulled her hand back. Without bothering with a proper greeting, she looked over at Veloci and said, "I thought you weren't able to capture on of them."

Veloci nodded. "Yes, that is true. However we spotted one earlier today and I sent two of my people out to get it." He gestured to Kista and Peter. "They were successful and brought it back here."

Axel cocked an eyebrow. "What for? You going to dissect it or something?"

"Tempting..." Veloci said, smirking. "But no. I was going to allow you to examine the animal here with me. There won't be any interferences."

"Hmm..." Axel glanced at the alimon, looking it up and down. "Are you sure it's safe to have an alimon here in your..laboratory or whatever this place is?" She smiled almost creepily. "You never know when it might escape..."

Veloci chuckled at this. "There's no chance! The cage is electrified. And even if it did escape, there's enough security measures here to keep it from getting too far."

The alimon snorted at him, causing Axel to laugh. "Doesn't look like he likes you that much."

Veloci looked at her. "He?"

Dr. Axel nodded. "Just a guess. I'm assuming it's a male because those feathers look like they could be used to attract mates or to show off to other males in ritual confrontations." After a few moments of staring at the alimon in the cage, as if she couldn't believe it was really there, she turned back to Veloci. "Now..where can we go with this creature in peace?"

Veloci gestured for her to follow. "Come with me. I know where we can continue this meeting without interruption." He gave a sideways glance at Peter and Kista. "You two, come with us. I need to you bring the animal with."

___

At the high school, Moynihan waited patiently in her classroom. She waited for Mr. Asymal and Mr. Haze to come by. They should show up any minute. She said they could come by her class at this time because she didn't have a class at this time. Next to her was a small carrier case where Rump was in. She didn't like keeping him in it, but the principal wouldn't let her bring him with unless he was kept in a cage. Rump didn't like it, but Moynihan kept him occupied with some treats and a chew toy. She also put in some water in case he was thirsty.

Within minutes, she heard the classroom door open. She looked up and saw two men walking in. She took quick notice of the scar on one of the men's faces. She smiled in greeting. "Hello, you two must be Mr. Haze and Mr. Asymal, am I correct?"

The two men reached her desk in no time. One of the men, the one with the scar, smirked. "Yes, I am Mr. Asymal. And he is Mr. Haze." He pointed at the man standing next to him, who waved half-heartedly at Moynihan. "I take it you are Ms. Moynihan?"

The old woman nodded. "Yes, that I am."

"You wondering why we are here?" Mr. Asymal asked.

Moynihan looked at him, slightly confused. "No..of course not. The principal said you wanted to talk to me about your child in my classroom. Is that not why you came?"

Mr. Asymal stared at her for a few seconds, then laughed a bit. "I must apologize. I know this may sound..unconventional, to say the least, to you. But I had to make up some kind of lie so I can speak with you." Moynihan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, I know, I should have told the truth to begin with. But in all honestly, I didn't think I could speak to you quickly enough if I used the truth."

Mr. Haze nodded. He folded his arms behind his back and stretched. "I know, this seems all strange to you, but don't worry, it'll all make sense soon."

Moynihan still frowned at them. She didn't like that these men had lied just to get in touch with her. She glanced at Rump briefly before gesturing towards the two chairs she had sitting in front of her desk. "Go on, sit down." As the two men sat down, she clasped her hands together and placed them on the table. She adjusted herself in her seat. "Now what is it you want to speak to me about?"

Haze opened his mouth to speak, but Asymal cut him off. "First, how long do we have to talk to you?"

Moynihan glanced quickly at the clock. "I'd say about an hour before my next class."

Haze smirked. "A full sixty minutes then?"

Moynihan nodded, looking a bit perplexed. "Yes, that's right. Sixty minutes. One hour."

Asymal chuckled. He tapped his fingers together eagerly, licking his lips as if he was hungry. "That'll be plenty of time...."

Moynihan suddenly had a very bad feeling about these two men. "For what..?"

Asymal grinned. "To eliminate you..." Moynihan widened her eyes, gasped, and leaned back in her chair quickly. Asymal closed his eyes and reopened them, his iris changing to red and pupils became slits. "Prepare to die..."

___

Veloci and Axel were now in a room deep in the back of Raptor Dyne's cave laboratory. Veloci had been careful to choose a different location than where his weapons were located. As soon as Kista and Peter pulled the alimon in the room, he sent them off. He insisted that he and Dr. Axel worked alone. He had several tools laid out for Axel to use. Set above the alimon was a contraption with different devices attached to it. There was a computer terminal nearby that operated it.

He glanced at the alimon, supposedly male. It seemed to grow a little restless. It was constantly pacing back and forth in the cage. It eyed him multiple times, but seemed to eye Axel a lot more often. He couldn't figure out why. Maybe Axel just looked more appetizing to it. He snarled in disgust. The thought of eating a human always made him feel a bit sick to his stomach.

"Shall we begin?" Veloci asked. He was eager to learn more about these creatures. He hoped they would prove useful for his global dinosaur domination plans.

Dr. Axel got up from her seat. She walked up to the alimon and stared at it some more. The alimon stared back at her, its grey and blue eyes almost unblinking. She turned her head towards Veloci. "Are you sure we're alone? Completely alone? As in, no interruptions?"

Veloci replied, "Yes. I told my men to stay away from this area until I said they could come. They are not going to interrupt us. Now.." He gestured towards the alimon. "...shall we begin? You know I hate repeating the same question twice."

Dr. Axel nodded her head. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Good then." Veloci turned towards the table full of tools. He walked up to them and picked a couple of them up. Without looking back, he said, "Which one do you want to start with?"

Instead of getting an answer from Axel, however, he suddenly found himself being slammed into the ground by a great force. He grunted in pain. He looked up and was shocked to see another alimon, this one with a short mane and being yellow in color, standing over him, baring its teeth at him. Thinking fast, he extended his raptor talons and slashed the alimon across the foot. It screeched as it pulled its foot away, allowing Veloci to get away.

Up on his feet again, Veloci looked around to try to find Dr. Axel. He quickly realized she had completely disappeared. He turned his attention back to the yellow alimon. "Of all the times for Dr. Axel to disappear on me..."

"Oh she didn't leave you. Don't worry." The alimon in the cage suddenly spoke. It's voice gave away it was indeed a male.

Veloci looked at the animal, utterly shocked that he had spoken. He would have expected telepathy if the animal had any way of talking. He never would have imagined it learning how to speak a human language vocally. Trying to shake himself out of the initial shock, he said, "What do you mean?"

Just then, the alimon laughed and spoke in an all too familiar voice. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me, not after all we've been through."

Veloci's eyes slowly widened. "Axel...?"

The female alimon nodded, grinning. "Yes, it's me..." She turned her head towards the black and white male. "Now!"

At her command, the black male nodded his head and turned to the side. He extended his long tail out of the cage and used the tip of his tail to undo the latch that held him in. Even though his tail still touched the electrified bars, this time he seemed to be able to ignore them long enough to undo the latch. He pushed the door open and jumped out. He shook his body as he walked up to Axel. "Finally, I was getting tired of my little act."

"Act?" Veloci asked.

The male sneered at him. "Certainly! Did you really think anyone can capture one of us alimons that easily? I only pretended to get captured so I would be brought here."

"Oh can it, Paradox!" Axel hissed at him. The male, Paradox, lowered his head in submission. She gave Veloci a sideways glance, an evil smile spreading on her face. "Just be glad that, in a few moments, it'll all be over. Our leader will be pleased with us."

Veloci couldn't believe what was happening. His mind was racing, trying to make sense of what was going on. He started to realize it was a bad idea to ask to be alone back here. Even if he hadn't told his men not to come back, they still rarely came back here anyway. In most situations, he wouldn't care, but he had seen how these alimons had fought and knew he would have great difficulty fighting him.

He couldn't believe that, after all this time, Dr. Axel was really an alimon. Suddenly some things about her made sense, namely her running off or disappearing without telling anyone and her interest in the alimon fossils. It also explained how she knew that Paradox was male. Not knowing what to expect, he backed away a couple of steps, narrowing his eyes.

"What do you two intend to do?" He demanded angrily.

"I'd tell you..but you aren't going to like it." Axel said, narrowing her eyes. "So..let me just show you." She bared her sharp teeth and lowered her haunches. Then she lunged forward towards Veloci, mouth split wide open, teeth fully exposed.

___

Ms. Moynihan felt a tail strike her on her legs, knocking her into the ground. She grunted in pain and struggled to get up. She looked out at Haze and Asymal, both of which had turned into alimons, advancing towards her, snarling viciously. Drool dripped from their jaws. She managed to get out of the way as Haze ran towards her, snapping at her. She nearly tripped over a desk as she run to get away from them.

Asymal lunged towards her. Before he could bite her, she brought her cane forward. He snagged onto that as he pushed her into the ground. Moynihan pushed as hard as she could, but the alimon was stronger than she was. In a flash, he pulled the cane from her and tossed it away. He then turned his attention towards her, licking his chops. He snapped his jaws towards her. Moynihan attempted to move away, but winced in pain as the alimon's teeth lightly slashed the side of her cheek.

Haze walked up towards them. He sneered down at Moynihan. "Why don't you just hold still so this will go by much more quickly? Here, I'll help you." He lifted a paw and pushed it against Moynihan's head, roughly turning her head upwards so her throat was exposed. "Just hold still. This won't take long." He opened his jaws and prepared to rip the old woman's throat out.

Moynihan's growled. "I won't let you..."

Glowing brightly, she transformed into her velociraptor self, taking the two alimons by surprise. She pulled her legs back and kicked Asymal in the stomach. She wrapped her tail around Haze's leg and tripped him onto the ground. Now freed, she hopped onto her feet and ran across the room. She turned back to them and opened her mouth threateningly, hissing. She held her hand claws in front of her in a vicious manner.

'I didn't want to resort to this..but you left me no choice!' Moynihan hissed as she ran towards the two alimons. She jumped on top of Asymal's back and bit into him. She held on tightly as Asymal thrashed around to get her off. After a few moments, she was knocked off of Asymal's back. She was about to get back up when she suddenly felt a horrible pain in her leg. She looked over and saw that Haze had grabbed her leg, the same one that was injured years ago. It still hurt her to this day.

"Perhaps this will knock some sense into you.." Haze said, smirking evilly.

'How did you know about...?' Moynihan tried to say, but Haze silenced her by squeezing her leg tighter and twisting it roughly. She hissed in pain.

Asymal walked over to her. "Why don't you just die like a dinosaur?" He lifted a paw above her head and swung it downwards.


	14. Near Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Suddenly, Rump started to bark frantically and gnawed at the bars. Despite being in his mutantsaur form, he wasn't able to bite through the bars; Moynihan had designed these bars herself to keep Rump from escaping his carrier. After continuous failure in removing the bars, Rump gave up and went back to his barking. The barking caused the two alimons in the room to stop what they were doing and wince.

Haze turned his head towards the carrier, hissing angrily. "Shut up, you mangy dog!" Using his long tail, he swatted the cage aside, causing it to crash against the wall.

'Rump!' Moynihan called out.

The carrier landed on its side. The lock that kept the door closed had somehow come undone. Rump pushed his nose against the cage door and it opened up. Realizing immediately he could now get out, he leaped from his carrier and barked. Haze's eyes widened slightly as he realized what he did. He then growled and ran towards the dog.

"Do you know any good tricks? Because I know one you should learn!" He said mockingly as he neared the dog. When he got close enough, he lifted a paw in the air, preparing to tear into the dog with his four sharp talons. "Play dead!"

But Rump was faster than he had anticipated. The dog mutantsaur jumped out of the way, then immediately bit down onto the alimon's forelimb. Haze howled in pain and started to shake his limb to dislodge the dog.

Moynihan watched as this scene played out. She turned her eyes upwards slowly and noticed Asymal's attention was no longer on her. Instead, he was looking at Haze struggling with Rump. Using this opportunity, she slowly wrapped her tail around one of Asymal's hind legs and pulled hard. The alimon screeched as he fell into the ground. Moynihan then immediately moved over and got on top of the alimon. She wrapped her arms around him, pressed a foot against his side, and closed her jaws around his neck.

'I have questions I want to ask you. And I suggest you answer them..' Moynihan said, her voice threatening.

___

Veloci let out a shrill cry as he slammed against the wall, having been knocked there by Axel. He shook his head and looked over at her, baring his teeth. He had quickly transformed into a velociraptor as soon as Axel launched her attack. He thought he would be quick enough to outmaneuver her and get multiple attacks in, but she proved faster than he had anticipated. It didn't help that her comrade, Paradox, kept coming in from behind, slashing or biting him.

Axel ran towards him and snapped her jaws close to his head, just barely missing. Veloci pulled his head back and snarled. He lunged forward and bit down onto Axel's neck. Much to his dismay, the neck was thick with muscle and was harder to bite into than he thought. Before he could apply more pressure, Axel swung her head down, hitting him hard in the head with the underside of her jaw. Veloci released his grip, feeling somewhat woozy from the attack. Axel bit down on his tail, slicing into the meat and blood vessels, and swung him into the ground.

Veloci hissed as his chin slammed into the ground. He looked up and noticed Axel moving in towards him. Her jaws were open and her eyes were fixated on his neck. Opening his eyes wide, he quickly reacted. He swiftly got off the ground, turned around, and swung at her with his three-digit hands. The claws made their mark, slashing across Axel's face.

Veloci held his hands, claws glinting in the light, at her in a threatening manner. 'Get out of my lab!'

Paradox snarled, "And who is going to make us? You?" He chortled. "You, who is going to die soon, is trying to threaten us?" Veloci growled at him. Paradox looked somewhat afraid, but that didn't last long. He sneered, "You are outnumbered and outclassed. Why don't you just give up now? It'll be a lot easier on you."

Axel gingerly pressed a digit against her face, pulled her paw back and looked at it. There was some blood, but not a lot, that now stained her paw. Her pupils dilated and she let out a scream of anger. She swiftly turned her head towards Veloci, her eyes glowing more intensely. "You dare try to harm me?! You ignorant fool! I'll show you what happens to those who mess with me!"

With that, she dashed towards Veloci and slammed her head against his side. He screeched as he hit against the wall again. Before he could get up, she closed her jaws around his shoulders and bit down hard. Veloci roared in agony as Axel sank her teeth deep into his shoulder, tearing at the flesh and skin. With a swift pull, she ripped out a chunk of flesh, leaving Veloci with a gaping hole, muscle and ligaments exposed. She then struck against his side with her paw, three deep gashes appearing.

Blood poured heavily from the wounds and they stung horribly. Veloci was doing his best not to howl in pain as he knew that's what Axel would have wanted. Instead he stood his ground, his legs slightly shaky. He opened his jaws and ran towards Axel. Paradox ran from the side and used his head and neck to knock Veloci back down into the ground. Veloci screeched painfully as he landed on his back, hitting his shoulder wound. He looked up to see a set of jaws coming in at his head...

___

Caruso ran down the hallway, pushing past multiple students as he did so. Right behind him were Michelle and Max. His heart was racing, his breathing slightly raggedy. Some other students glared at him or looked confused as the group of three ran past them. They apologized a few times, but their minds were focused on something else.

"Caruso!" Max called out. He was running alongside Caruso, slightly behind him. He had his eyes focused on what was in front of him, as did everyone else. "Are you sure you heard screams?"

Caruso nodded. "Yes, I'm certain!"

"But how are you certain they're coming from Ms. Moynihan's room?" Max asked.

Caruso replied, "Don't know, but I don't want to take any chances! It might be.." He stifled himself, realizing he couldn't talk about such things out here in the hallway.

Behind them, Michelle was pushing herself to run faster. She wanted to get to the classroom. She wanted to make sure Moynihan was all right. And if something really was wrong, she wanted to make whoever harmed her pay for doing so. "Enough talking! More running!"

After shoving their way through a rather large crowd of students who were trying to reach their next class, they reached the science room. Caruso arrived first and tried to turn the knob. It wouldn't budge. The team immediately knew something was wrong. Moynihan wasn't the type to lock her door, even if she didn't currently have class. The only time she'd lock it was at the end of the day when she was going home.

Caruso pressed his body against the door and pushed as hard as he could. But the door wasn't budging. He tried to push harder, but it wasn't any use. Max approached and started to help. He stood next to Caruso and put both hands square on the door. Mustering up as much strength as he could, he pushed into the door. But even the combined strength of the two male teenagers wasn't enough to make the door swing open.

After several seconds of pushing, Caruso paused and looked over at Max. "Do you think we can go get Rodger? He'd be strong enough to get this open."

"There won't be enough time!" Max gritted his teeth as he pressed his body against the door, trying to pop it open. "We have to..get in there..now!" He said through clenched teeth.

'Stand aside.' Max and Caruso immediately moved out of the way as Michelle dashed towards the door in dino mode. She twisted her body to the side and slammed it against the door. The impact of her body against the door caused it to pop open. The two stood there momentarily, flabbergasted.

"Did she just..." Caruso said.

"No time to worry about that!" Max ran into the room. Caruso followed close behind.

They found Michelle standing next to the stairs, looking down at the scene below. They walked up next to her to have a look for themselves. They gasped as they saw the source of the commotion. Moynihan was in dino mode and wrestling with what appeared to be a white alimon. Next to her, Rump was running around in circles, a second, green alimon chasing after him. There were multiple blood stains on the floor and blood staining all the participants in the fight.

"More alimons?!" Caruso cried out. "Where do they keep coming from?!"

'Who cares? Let's just get them away from here!' Michelle said as she started to move down the stairs.

"Michelle, wait!" Max yelled, but it was too late. Michelle was already running down the stairs. Within seconds, she jumped on top of the white alimon, taking him by complete surprise. Max sighed, frustrated. "We needed to think of a plan first..."

"No time for a plan now!" Caruso said as he rushed down the stairs. "Let's help her!" As he got closer, his stegosaurus tail shot out from behind him and plates grew from his back. He swung his tail at the green alimon, knocking him back. It was the best he could do since he could not fully transform in this room. With a velociraptor, a guanlong, a mutantsaur, and two alimons, there wasn't enough space.

Max watched the fight from a distance for a little while before deciding to join in. He didn't want to fight more alimons, and he couldn't imagine how much this was going to hurt any possible chance of a peaceful encounter, but he knew he had to help his friends. Baring his teeth, he transformed his head partially into a tyrannosaurus and rushed forward. He slammed his jaws around the tail of the white alimon, causing him to screech in pain. He then released, turned around, and, using his partially transformed hands, slashed across the thigh of the green alimon.

The two alimons stopped what they were doing and leaped across the room, landing on the desks above them. Panting, tongues hanging out, they glanced down, noticing two partially transformed humans and a guanlong along with the mutant dog and velociraptor they were previously dealing with. They looked at each other.

"More of them?" Haze said.

Asymal growled. "Apparently so." He looked back down. "And if they're here, the others may show up soon."

Haze narrowed his eyes. "What should we do?"

"Leave." Asymal said. "We've wasted enough time as it is."

Without saying another word, the two alimons made a dash towards the door. The group watched as there was flash, indicating they were going back to human form. The lack of screams indicated that there was nobody in the hall when this happened, which was just sheer luck. While there were other students who heard what Caruso had, they either chose to ignore it, perhaps thinking they had only imagined it, or they didn't know what to do about it.

Michelle looked at Moynihan, noticing all the cuts on her body. She nudged her head against her head. 'Moynihan, are you all right?'

Moynihan nodded. 'Yes, I'm fine. A little torn, but it's nothing I can't handle.' She shifted back into human form. Michelle did likewise, as did Max, Caruso, and Rump.

"Moynihan, what happened? What were those alimons doing here?" Max said, his voice full of concern.

Moynihan adjusted her glasses as she leaned against the desk. She seemed to be favoring one leg again. When Max looked at her leg, he could see why. There were red marks and some scratches on the leg she had broken decades ago. "They were Haze and Asymal."

Michelle's eyes widened. "Haze and Asymal..? Those were the same guys we saw at the library the other day. They said they wanted to talk to you."

Moynihan nodded. "That's what they told the principal and that's what they told me." Her eyes narrowed. "They had fibbed so they could get to me alone. It was a good thing I brought Rump along. He proved a great ally against those alimons."

Max blinked. "Why did they want you alone? To talk?"

Caruso glared at him and pointed a finger at him. "Talk? Yeah sure. That's why they were trying to tear into her skin!"

"Whoa, calm down there!" Max said, holding up his hands.

"They did not specifically say why, but they were sent here to eliminate me." Moynihan explained, her voice solemn. "They wanted me alone so it would be easier for them to kill me and leave before anyone wold notice."

The group just sat there in silence for several minutes, taking in this new information. It left a very uneasy feeling in them. These alimons weren't kidding when they said they knew a lot about them. They had nearly successfully managed an attack at the school to get rid of Moynihan. They had figured out so many details ahead of time, when was the best time to attack, among other things. What if they were to strike again? And what if they managed to succeed the second time around?

The trio were grateful that Moynihan, although hurt, managed to make it out in one piece, especially Michelle. They were horrified when they realized how close they were to losing her in this attack. Rump had made it easier for her to fight back, but they weren't sure how much of a difference he had made in the battle. If things had gone in the favor of the alimons, they would have come into the classroom only to see the mutilated corpse of their teacher.

Michelle, feeling relieved that the alimons had lost, wrapped her arms around Moynihan and hugged her. "I'm glad you're all right."

Moynihan smiled and hugged her back. "As am I..."

After a couple more uneasy minutes, Max spoke up. "So..what do you think we should do, Ms. M? Now that these alimons have tried to kill you..."

Still hugging Michelle, Moynihan looked up at the boy, frowning. This wasn't like the other attack she endured by the purple female. This was a deliberate attempt on her life."I didn't want to do this, but I'm afraid we've run out of options. We'll have to fight back..."

___

Veloci remained on the ground, constantly yelping or grunting in pain as Axel continued to slash him with her claws or bite down on a limb and toss him. Axel had a sneer on her face. She was enjoying hearing his cries of pain, seeing him in agony. She drove her claws deep into his leg and threw him to the side. She walked over and bit down on his hand, tearing into the ligaments. She released him and struck him with her tail, causing him to roll onto his back. She placed her front paws on his chest and pushed her claws in deeply. She lowered her head so it was close to Veloci's.

"And by the way, I was the one who killed that woman. She was getting to be a pain, so I relieved you of her." She lightly scratched the side of Veloci's jaws with a claw. "You hate humans anyway, so you should be thanking me."

Through his painful hissing, Veloci managed a question. 'Why...?'

"Why?" Axel laughed coldly. She looked over at Paradox. "Do you hear that? He wants to know why we're doing this. Isn't that cute?"

Paradox nodded, grinning. "Oh yes, very cute. Downright adorable."

Turning her attention back to Veloci, Axel said, "I would tell you, but you are not going to live much longer. So what's the point in me telling you?" She laughed again as she placed a paw on Veloci's head, her claws piercing his skin. She then twisted his head to the side painfully. Veloci let out a yelp. The twist hadn't broken his neck but it felt like it had. "Take a last look around..this is the last thing you'll see before you die."

Axel suddenly drove her claws deep into Veloci's chest, blood pouring from it. She continued to move her paw down until she reached his abdomen before she pulled her claws out. She smirked in delight as the blood oozed from the deep gashes. Veloci writhed in pain, trying feebly to fight back. Axel couldn't help but smile at this lame attempt to defend himself. She gripped him by his neck, lifted him up, and hurled him into the ground with great force.

She was going to continue, but Paradox came up to her. "I think he's had enough, Axel." He said, noting the injuries. "He's not going to live much longer. Let's just leave him here to die."

Axel glared at him. "Now where's the fun in that? I want to see the look on his face when he breathes his last." Veloci looked up at her with one, wide eye.

"Our leader told us to kill him, not waste time torturing him." Paradox said, baring his teeth. "Do you want to risk failing our leader? I'd hate to think of what he might do to you." He cringed back as Axel advanced on him, snapping her jaws at him angrily.

"Do you think I care what our leader does to me?! Nothing he does to me will affect me!" She pushed her face right up to Paradox's, looking directly into his terrified eyes. "I'll do whatever pleases me! Understand?!"

Paradox nodded his head, backing away from Axel. Keeping his head low, he said, "Sure I understand. It's just that..do you really need to waste time watching him die? He's good as dead anyway. He'll be lucky if anyone finds him in time. Might as well just leave him here." Then an idea struck him. "Or maybe you could bring him with us. After all, our leader did want proof that we successfully killed this velociraptor. He'll make a good meal too. Probably takes like turkey." He licked his lips as he looked at Veloci's fearful expression.

Axel thought about this, scratching her chin. She looked down at Veloci. She knew Paradox was right. She could just bring him along. She smirked. She liked that idea, to bring Veloci with on the way back to the cave. That way, if he did die on the way there, she'd be there to witness it. She said, "All right then, we'll take him with us."

She walked over to Veloci and was about to pick him up when she realized a problem. He could try to fight back, even in his weakened state. She didn't want to be interrupted on the way back, so she walked over to the tools to see if he had any rope. To her delight, he did. She picked some up and walked over to him and went to work. Within minutes, she bound his legs and arms together and tied his jaws shut. She knew he wouldn't dare go back to human form unless he wanted to die faster. She picked him up and placed him on her back roughly.

She turned to Paradox. "All right, let's go."

___

About half an hour later, Axel and Paradox, along with the injured Veloci, were making their way along a forest trail. They chose this way so they wouldn't be so easily spotted. A few birds flew overhead, probably vultures attracted by the promise of Veloci's meat. The two alimons ignored them as they continued to make their way back to the base.

The trail was a little rough in some places. There were bushes and fallen branches that were in the way, plus the occasional sharp stone. Nonetheless, it didn't slow them down. They did whatever they could to get through, even if it meant causing Veloci pain. They didn't care anyway. They knew he was going to die soon.

Suddenly they heard something snap. They quickly stopped and looked around. After a few moments, they heard another sound. They kept turning their heads this way and that, trying to find whatever was causing that noise. They sniffed the air a few times and got a whiff of something. They growled, realizing they weren't alone. Axel grabbed Veloci and threw him roughly to the side as she and Paradox got onto a fighting stance.

"I know you're there.. Show yourself!" Paradox barked.

Veloci opened up an eye weakly and looked over at what was going on. His vision was very blurry. He could make out a black shape and a yellow shape, recognizing them as Paradox and Axel. They were moving about frantically, as though they were in a fight. He realized there was another black shape that was moving around, constantly knocking Paradox and Axel into the ground. He wanted to say something, but he felt his strength leave him. His eyes closed as his vision failed him.


	15. The Newcomers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Haze and Asymal hadn't moved far from the school. Now back in human form, they remained hidden in the shadows of the school. There were some students out here now, but they were too busy playing some kind of game to pay attention to them. The Dino Squad and their mentor hadn't tried to go after them yet. They probably assumed they kept fleeing.

Haze rubbed his arm, which was sore from the fight. He looked rather annoyed at the turn of events. "That stupid mutt.. if it weren't for that beast, we would have done our job!"

Asymal rolled his eyes as he leaned against the school. "Oh stop complaining, will you?"

Haze let his arms relax at his sides as he looked at Asymal. "Hey I was just telling the truth!" He groaned softly as he looked at the kids playing a game. The sight of moving targets was very tempting for him. "Man..I'm getting hungry. Do you think I can...?"

Asymal smacked him on the head. "No, you cannot eat one of those kids! Besides, you know we don't eat humans."

"That much you mean." Haze said as he rubbed his head, glaring. "Some of us had already eaten some humans. They might not be the best prey, but they aren't that bad. The fat ones are especially tasty." He licked his lips.

Asymal shook his head. Sometimes Haze drove him nuts and this was one of those times. He looked out at the students. There were too many of them. They couldn't risk attacking them without being reported. He looked up at the sky. It was still bright outside and school wasn't going to be over for a few hours. But since most of the kids were at school and most adults at work, he knew there might be some humans, especially elderly ones, that might be easier to kill without much trouble.

He said to Haze, "If you don't mind going for a little walk, I know where you can get something to eat." He chuckled darkly.

___

Veloci groaned in pain as he slowly opened his eyes. His vision remained blurry for a few moments, then he shook his head to try to clear it. Slowly, his vision became sharper so he can see where he was. He recognized the familiar surroundings of Raptor Dyne and he realized he was in his room on the top level. He was now in human form, though he was not wearing his usual Raptor Dyne outfit. Instead he was wearing lighter clothes covering less of his body.

He found that he was laying on the ground on a large blanket. He also realized that he was wearing more than just this light outfit. He was also covered in bandages. He touched one of them and winced in pain. His mind struggled to remember what had happened and how he got here. He rubbed his head and groaned. He had never been in so much pain before. He started to realize how Caruso must've felt when he tortured him.

He looked at the ground next to him and noticed a cup of water and a plate with a couple of raw steaks on it. He picked up the steak and transformed his head. He bit down on the steak carefully and swallowed it whole. Then he picked up the second steak and ate it. He continued this until he was finished. He changed his head back and picked up the water and drank about half of it before setting it back down. He wiped his mouth carefully. He then looked around the room.

At first, it looked like he was alone. That didn't surprise him. He normally liked being alone in his office up there. He liked being almost anywhere where he could be away from the disgusting humans he had to work with. This allowed him to reflect more on what happened. Memories came flooding back to him rapidly. He remembered that he was attacked by two alimons, mostly by Axel, and he remembered almost dying. Then he remembered something distracted the alimons, then he remembers nothing after that. He figured he must have blacked out. He narrowed his eyes as a desire to find these alimons and make them pay for what they did developed inside him.

Just then, he heard something in the room. He looked around and tried to find its source. He eventually noticed that he wasn't as alone as he had originally thought. He saw a figure standing across the room, just behind the monitor. No wonder he didn't originally see this guy at first. The figure came out from behind the computer and Veloci recognized him as Peter. The man had a worried expression on his face as he walked over to Veloci. He stopped a good distance away, not wanting to upset Veloci.

"How are you feeling, sir?" Peter asked.

Veloci groaned and hissed, "What do you think?" Peter said nothing, simply nodding. Veloci tried to adjust himself without causing himself pain, but it proved to be difficult. "How did I get back here? The last I remember I was..somewhere else."

Peter nodded his head. He sat down on the floor, crossing his legs. "When I noticed you hadn't returned from what you were doing with Axel, I went to investigate. I saw that you were not there and I knew something was wrong. I told Kista and Oscura and we went looking for you using our dinosaur senses. We eventually found you, barely alive. We took you back to Raptor Dyne and we worked as quickly as we could, with some of the scientists' help of course, to stabilize you. It wasn't easy, but we managed to stop the bleeding and keep you from dying. You're still far from fine, I'm afraid, and you won't be able to do much for a while until you heal."

Veloci tried to get up, but winced. "I'll be fine. Dinosaurs heal quickly..."

"That may be," Peter said, "But you'll still need to rest. Many of the wounds you received were life threatening and severe. Even with the speedy healing of a dinosaur, you'll likely be out of commission for a few days, perhaps longer."

"How long have I been out already?" Veloci asked.

"Oh..about two days I would say." Peter said.

Veloci looked shocked. "Two days?! Who has been running Raptor Dyne in my absence?"

Peter smiled. "I have, sir. Don't worry, everything is running normally. There's no problems or anything. The workers have been doing their jobs and no one has been attempting any unauthorized experiments."

Veloci groaned again as he listened to what Peter told him. While he hated to admit it, he was impressed that Peter was able to manage the company and that his human minions hadn't caused any problems in his absence. Then again, he wouldn't have expected less from Peter, whom he had trusted more than the other members at Raptor Dyne. He considered Peter his right-hand man, and had considered promoting him to second-in-command. Him handling Raptor Dyne alone did improve his credentials and give him more of a reason to increase his rank.

He nodded his head, but remained quiet. Peter nodded in return and went back to the computer, leaving Veloci in peace. Veloci put his back against the wall he was next to, and his thoughts went to Axel. He had met Axel a couple years ago. Even back when they didn't get along too well, she didn't seem so bad. She was a bit eccentric, he admit, but she was also intelligent and often had ideas that he would consider brilliant. He would never admit it, but he felt almost hurt by her sudden betrayal. Despite what they been through, she still tried to take his life.

He laid back on the ground. He did need to recover his strength as soon as possible. He shifted into his velociraptor form, the bandages remaining wrapped around him, and curled up. He felt more comfortable in his dino mode than human mode. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

___

"There's been another murder." Max said solemnly.

It had been about a week since the incident at the school. The Dino Squad hadn't encountered any alimon in quite a while, nor have they heard any news about Veloci, no new experiments or anything. They couldn't help but feel very uneasy, unsure of when the next strike will be. They were apprehensive at the school, and sometimes overly suspicious. Moynihan had been affected as well, and refused to see anyone after school unless they were someone she knew and trusted.

And if the silence wasn't bad enough for them, they had heard about more murders in Kittery Point. It was almost as if the alimons singled out Kittery Point simply because they were there. It made them all feel guilty, as if they were somehow responsible for these people's deaths. They had no doubt in their minds who the culprits were this time. The murders must have been committed by the alimons. They had not gotten any confirmation from them, but after how they tried to kill them, they felt that was enough evidence to put blame on the alimons for the incidents.

Even Max had lost almost all hope of peaceful interactions with the alimons. He wasn't sure if they should even try to talk with the creatures anymore. Perhaps they should just fight them to protect themselves and try to drive them out of Kittery Point. If the alimons continue to be a problem, perhaps they should go as far as try to wipe them out. Then again, despite her encounter, Moynihan wasn't interested in wiping them out. Veloci had been causing problems for even longer, and Moynihan hadn't tried to kill him off.

This latest murder hit them harder than the previous ones, however, especially Terri and Fiona. Unlike the other murders, who were either people they didn't know or were not identified yet, this murder was someone they knew. Max felt terrible about delivering the news, but he felt they needed to know. This new victim was Mrs. Krell. It took both Terri and Fiona by surprise, who lived right next door. They had reported no sounds, no commotion, nothing. Mrs. Krell's body was found in her kitchen, ripped apart, limbs missing, a few organs spilled on the ground. Unlike the other attacks, much of her body had been consumed.

Terri glanced at the ground. She was trying her best to hide her tears, but she knew she wasn't fooling anyone. She had grown close to Mrs. Krell, and enjoyed working on her garden and watching her paint. It hit her hard to know that she'll never see her again. "Are they..sure it was her? Maybe she had someone else over?"

Max sighed, expecting this kind of response. "I'm afraid not. The body was positively identified. The head was left alone." He bit his lip. "I saw it. There's no doubt about it. It was Mrs. Krell..."

Terri closed her eyes tightly and frowned. "Those stupid alimons... Why did they have to go and do this?"

Fiona placed a hand on Terri's shoulder. "I know, Terri..I know..."

Buzz shook his head slowly, clenching a fist tightly. The more he heard about these murders, the angrier he felt at the alimons. Normally he loved animals, but he couldn't help but hate these animals for what they've been doing. And what was worse is that they were doing this on purpose, not out of instinct. "Who else is going to fall victim to these creatures?"

"Countless people, I'm sure, if they continue at this rate." Rodger said solemnly.

"And what will make them stop?" Terri said, turning her head to Rodger. "What will make those...monsters go away?"

Michelle shook her head. She didn't know Mrs. Krell that well, but she understood that Terri cared about her. She wanted to say something to make her feel better, but what could she say? She wasn't used to comforting; she was used to being blunt. She was used to being truthful. "I'm sorry, but I don't know if there's anything that will make them go away. They've already proven to be tenacious, even if the encounters were brief and few. For all we know, they may mount another attack, this time on the lighthouse."

Rodger hissed, "That isn't helping, Michelle."

"Understood." Michelle said, raising a hand. "I'm just trying to be realistic here. Don't think I don't understand, because I do. Unlike the rest of you, I have had the unfortunate luck of working with Veloci for an extended period of time, threatened and attacked on a near daily basis. I think I know what it's like to live in fear."

Rodger frowned for several seconds before relaxing, exhaling slowly. He couldn't stay upset with Michelle for too long. "So what would you suggest we do?"

"Don't let your guard down..and wait." Michelle said simply. She closed her eyes. "That's all we can do now."

"Anything else?" Fiona asked, who still had an arm around Terri.

"Hope that nothing else happens...but sadly, that isn't going to happen." Michelle looked at the rest of the team. She tried to say something, but there was nothing else she could add. She exhaled in a somewhat frustrated way and looked over at Moynihan, who was sitting in her favorite chair. "And what do you have to say on this, Moynihan?"

Moynihan looked over at Michelle. She scratched her head a bit, trying to think of an answer. Before, the answer came more easily to her. But now, after she was nearly killed and after a friend of the Dino Squad was found murdered, she wasn't sure what to think anymore. She was starting to feel the same way she did when she turned against Veloci. She felt conflicted, confused, even regretful at times. Going against him after all they've been through had hurt her, and now she was forced to make another difficult decision. Should she go through with fighting the alimons or should she still hold out for hope?

The easiest decision seemed the most clear to her. It was either them or the alimons, and she wasn't about sacrifice her students for a bunch of evil dinosaurs. Yet she wondered if the harder decision, to continue to hold out for hope of peace with the alimons, was the better choice. But could it also be the wrong decision? They had encountered more than one alimon and all of them had acted hostile towards the team, one was killed, and several people were killed by these alimons...

She made up her mind. She straightened up, tightening her grip on her cane. "We'll be on full alert next time. Don't let your guard down around the alimons. If need be, attack them. I'm not about to allow these alimons a chance to kill any of you kids, or kill me. I'm not going to give them that chance. They've had their chances to make peace with us, but each time they chose violence. So we will do whatever it takes to protect ourselves and our loved ones from these dinosaurs." The Dino Squad nodded in agreement.

___

Later that night, Moynihan was leaning against the counter top in the kitchen. Her eyes were on Michelle, who was getting Rump his food. The teenager grabbed the bag, opened it, and poured it in Rump's bowl. The dog barked happily and started eating his food. Michelle pulled the back back into the cabinet and shut the door. She rubbed her back as she stood up. She looked over at Moynihan, noting her worried expression. She walked over to her.

"Do you have any plans to deal with these alimons?" Michelle asked her in a soft voice.

Moynihan shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Michelle." She rubbed her head, sighing frustratingly. "I'm at a loss here. I never encountered anything like this before. I'm not sure what I'm going to do..."

Michelle put a hand on Moynihan's arm sympathetically. Then a thought came to her mind. "What about contacting Mr. Stone? He seemed to be pretty knowledgeable. Do you think he would be able to help?"

Moynihan said, "He probably can, but, dear girl, I don't want to involve more people in this mess."

Michelle replied, "I understand, but it's our best lead. Stone's the only one who may be able to offer any kind of advice to us. Why don't you call him and talk to him?" She gently squeezed her arm. "Please? It may be our only chance to settle this."

Moynihan still looked unsure. She and Stone were old friends and she didn't want to involve him in something that could cost him his life, especially not after what happened to Mrs. Krell. Yet she knew Michelle was right. Stone was the only one they knew that seemed to have a good amount of knowledge on alimons. He would be the only one to be able to help them with this situation.

"All right then..I'll call him." Moynihan said.

"Thank you." Michelle said, smiling.

But Moynihan wasn't done yet. "After you go to bed." She gently pushed Michelle out the kitchen and towards the stairs. "It's getting late."

"Oh all right." Michelle said without complaining. Rump looked up at her and followed her as she went onto the stairs.

Moynihan waited until Michelle was gone before she went back into the kitchen. She went up to the telephone and picked it up. She hesitated for a moment, then started dialing the number. She let it ring for a few times before she heard the sound of it being picked up. When she heard the familiar voice of Stone, she started to speak to him. "Hello, Stone. I need to talk to you..."

Stone didn't sound very surprised by her calling him. He said that he was able to check out the news recently and had caught wind of the two most recent murders. When he learned that the second victim was a friend of Moynihan's, he apologized for her loss.

"There's more.." Moynihan said, biting her lip. Stone noted her change in tone; she was starting to sound afraid. Moynihan acknowledged this. "I know that. It's because I am. You see... I was almost killed." Stone was horrified and asked her to explain what happened. Moynihan closed her eyes and tried to remember all the details. "There were two men who wanted to speak with me, but they turned out to be alimons. They attacked me, but I was able to defend myself."

She paused to wait for Stone's response. He sounded very worried, but also relieved that she was all right. He then questioned her on who the men were. Moynihan thought for a moment to recall the names. She told him the men called themselves Haze and Asymal. Almost immediately, Mr. Stone seemed to recognize those names. He told her quickly that he'll be coming over to Maine along with some friends, and to be expecting him very soon.

Before Moynihan could react, Stone hung up the phone. Moynihan blinked, and slowly hung up the phone. Part of her was glad that they'll be getting help soon. But another part of her was worried. What if Mr. Stone befell the same fate as the murdered victims of the alimons?

Moynihan said softly, "Be safe, Stone..."

___

"He's what?!" Rorra roared in fury, advancing on a cowering white and orange alimon. He bared his teeth at him, trying to hold back the temptation in biting him out of anger. "How could he have known?!"

The white alimon had the unfortunate task of delivering bad news to the leaders of the pack. It was the news that none of them had wanted to hear. Someone was coming over to Maine, someone who was guaranteed in giving them trouble. They had anticipated encountering this guy, but they had hoped to encounter him only after they had already dealt with the Dino Squad and Raptor Dyne.

"I-I-I don't know...I just h-heard he was coming..." The white alimon said, backing away from the enraged dark blue alimon.

Rorra pulled his head back and growled angrily. He kicked the ground with a back foot. "Of all the times for him to show up, it had to be now!"

"Yes, that is rather unfortunate..." Said a dark, gravelly voice from above him. "But stop yelling at the little coward. You won't accomplish anything."

Rorra looked up and lowered his head. "Sorry, father."

The alimon who had spoken to him frowned. His eyes glowed red and he was black and fire-orange in color. Beside him was a dark gray and black female alimon, watching the scene through cold, observant eyes. "Let's just wait and see what happens when he arrives. What do you think?" He turned to the white male, who sat close by.

The white male, his red eyes glinting, grinned. "I'm actually very excited about this turn of events. I haven't seen my...son in a long time. I wonder if he still holds onto his foolish beliefs." He chuckled and turned his attention to Rorra. "Have the troops on full alert and prepare for confrontation!"

___

The next day, in the afternoon, the Dino Squad were at the lighthouse. Moynihan had told them about her talk with Stone and how he told her to expect him very soon. They weren't sure just how soon he could have meant, but Moynihan said it could be as soon as today. They remained in the lighthouse, prepared to greet Mr. Stone as he walked into the lighthouse. So far, they hadn't heard any word from him, but Moynihan said she did tell Stone where to find her, so they shouldn't have to worry about looking for him.

"I wonder how long it'll take him to get here." Buzz said, folding his arms behind his back.

"Probably not long if he took the airplane." Michelle noted.

"Or he could have taken the bus and he'll get here in days." Buzz said, leaning forward and chuckling.

Michelle couldn't help but smile. "Oh be serious!" She said, smirking.

Max leaned forward on the couch, looking at Michelle and Buzz with his eyes narrowed. "Yes, let's be serious now. Someone important will be coming soon. Let's do our best to act serious now."

"I just hope that Mr. Stone will be able to help us." Caruso said, sounding unsure. "How can we be certain he'll be able to help?"

Fiona, who was sitting next to him, smiled and put an arm around him. She and Caruso had grown closer since his kidnapping and had developed a relationship. But they hadn't been able to show it since the alimons had started causing trouble. "Don't worry so much. I'm sure he'll be able to help us."

Terri looked over at Fiona. She was still getting used to the idea of her sister and Caruso being an item. She was sort of grateful for the alimons' interruptions because they made it feel almost like old times, when Caruso and Fiona were just friends. "I hope you're right, Fiona. But I don't see how you wouldn't be correct. After all, Stone does seem to know about these alimon creatures."

The others nodded in agreement. They couldn't doubt Stone's obvious knowledge of the animals and agreed that he may be able to help them. Some of them were worried that, even with Stone's help, they might not be able to combat the alimons. But they didn't want to douse each other's hope, so they decided to sit and wait for Stone. Even though he might not show up today, Moynihan still wanted them to spend most of the time in the living room, awaiting Stone or any one of his friends.

Just then, they heard a faint beeping coming from up the stairs. Max looked up towards the stairs, his eyes wide in shock. The only time there would be a beeping like this is if the monitors detected something, either a mutantsaur or something dangerous. Could Veloci be working on a new scheme?

Moynihan came running down the stairs, panting heavily. She stopped, looked over the spiral staircase, and looked at her students. The look on her face explained right away what she was feeling. "The scanners picked up something! It's at the lighthouse!"

Some of the Dino Squad immediately jumped from their seats. The remaining stayed down, too shocked to react. Max, the first one who stood up, said, "What? How can that be? How come we didn't see it before...?"

Moynihan got off the staircase and walked over to her students. "I should have been more clear. It's in the lighthouse."

Fiona gasped. "In the lighthouse? How did it get inside without us knowing about it?" The new scanners that were recently installed with Terri's help along with Michelle, who wanted to do more to make amends for what she put the team through, were designed to pick up not just dinosaur and mutantsaur signatures, but other living things as well, including humans. "There's no way it could have...."

"Over there!" Terri said abruptly, pointing at the staircase.

There was a loud clanging sound as something tapped against the hard stairs. The stairs themselves seemed to shake a little as something heavy was moving up it. Rump barked at the stairs, but kept his distance. They watched the staircase with anticipation, wondering what was going to come up those stairs. They could see a shadow move up the stairs and the sound of a low hissing.

Soon, they could see what had caused the monitors to ring, and immediately they were on full alert, adopting fighting stances. There, on the stairs, was an alimon, obviously male by the long feathers on the back of his neck. The alimon continued his trek up the stairs. He was light green in color with some gray coloration. He paused and looked around, sniffing the air. He turned his head towards the Dino Squad and blinked a few times. He lowered his head briefly as he stepped onto the floor that lead to the living room.

The alimon tilted his head, keeping it low. He took a few steps towards the Dino Squad, which prompted Rump to start barking at him. The male alimon paused as Fiona picked up Rump while giving him a glare. The rest of the team did likewise and watched his every movement. The alimon looked like he was about to speak but then looked behind them. The team turned around and gasped when they saw something they hoped they wouldn't see.

There were two other alimons that had showed up, a blue one and a brown and purple one. They stood by the door, obviously having gone in that way. After a few moments, they approached.


	16. Alimon Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Dr. Veloci entered his underground lab, exiting the elevator. He winced as he took a step. He was still in some pain, but it wasn't bad enough that he couldn't deal with it. Peter had wanted him to rest longer, but, being a predator, Veloci found it hard to sit around and do nothing. As soon was he was strong enough to walk without assistance, he took control of Raptor Dyne once more. It felt almost good to be in power again.

Veloci moved towards his large, dinosaur-like chair and sat down in it. He glanced up at the monitors momentarily. Today he wasn't too interested in the monitors. His mind was still on what had happened to him a few days ago. He pondered what he should do. Should he still attempt to make use out of these alimons or should he try to wipe them out? They might be a threat to his plans. He has no idea what their intentions are. But if their plans happened to be similar to his, why would they target him and try to kill him? It didn't make any sense.

A subordinate approached him with what appeared to be a chart or some kind of paper in his hands. Veloci turned to him and nodded his head. The man cleared his throat and said, "We just got the results of the last primordial ooze experiment back. We were still unsuccessful in resurrecting fossils. Same result as before, however, there was bit of a difference this time."

"Oh? Go on." Veloci inquired.

"The fossils did regain some kind of shape. It wasn't much, just a slight outline of the creature. But it's a step up from what we started with." The subordinate said.

Veloci smiled at this. Finally some bit of good news from his fossil revival attempts. "Excellent. Run some tests to determine what caused this change, then improve on this change in the future. Hopefully we'll get better results."

The subordinate nodded. "Yes, sir." He went back to the scientists.

___

"Stay back!" Buzz yelled, showing his talons to the two alimons that snuck up behind them. The two alimons simply looked at each other. This made Buzz angrier. "Yes I'm talking to you!"

"The same goes for you!" Rodger pointed a finger at the alimon that came up the stairs. "Take one more step forward and I'll shove my horns into you! I'm serious!"

The brown alimon blinked at Rodger's comment. After a few moments, he started to chuckle light-heartedly. This took the Dino Squad by surprise. The laugh didn't sound threatening. The brown alimon settled himself down after a few moments. He seemed to take note of the Dino Squad's confusion. Despite Rodger's threat, he took another step forward, which prompted Rump to wriggle himself lose from Fiona's grip.

"Rump!" Fiona watched in shock as, for the second time, Rump ran towards an alimon.

The blue alimon smirked at this. He turned to the green alimon standing next to him. "This is going to be interesting, don't you think?"

The green alimon nodded, a smile on his face too. "Oh yes. I'd like to see how this plays out, knowing him."

"I don't like the way they said that..." Max said, shifting his eyes to look at all three alimons as much as he could. He didn't want to take the chance of being taken off guard by them.

"Neither do I." Terri said, narrowing her eyes at the brown alimon as Rump ran towards him.

The Dino Squad had expected a repeat of before. They expected Rump to attack the alimon, provoking him, and causing him to attack back and either hurting him or killing him. The purple female had tried to kill Rump for assaulting him. Now it seems a brown male by finish what she had started. At least this time, they were much closer to the alimon and had a better chance at stopping the attack if they needed to. But what actually happened took them by surprise.

Instead of attacking Rump, when the dog got close enough and leaped towards him, the brown alimon reared onto his hind legs and wrapped his forelimbs around Rump, catching him in midair. He then held the dog close to him and started to snuggle him. "Oh, aren't you the most precious little thing?" He said in a young, playful voice. He gave the startled dog a lick on the face. Rump seemed to calm down, wagged his tail, and sniffed the alimon.

After a few seconds, the green alimon chuckled and raised a paw. "Okay, okay, put the dog down, Fluke. Don't squeeze the poor thing half to death!"

The brown and purple alimon, Fluke, blinked and looked surprised. He looked down at Rump and went, "Oh! Sorry!" He gently placed Rump back on the ground. The dog ran back towards Fiona. Fluke grinned nervously. "I apologize for that. I just couldn't help myself."

"Aww did you have to ruin his fun?" The blue alimon said in a somewhat pouty way.

The green alimon shook his head. "Sorry, but I didn't want him making a bad first impression."

The Dino Squad were shocked by the way these alimons were acting. They had expected them to be aggressive, just like all the other alimons they encountered. They were prepared to fight for their lives. But these alimons showed a completely different demeanor. They didn't appear to be aggressive at all. Instead they seemed...friendly.

Moynihan decided to take a chance on them and ask a question she had tried to ask the purple female but never got an answer out of. She took a step towards the blue and green alimons. She took in a breath and asked, "Who are you?"

The two alimons stared at her for a moment, almost puzzled by the question. After a moment, the green alimon smiled and said, "I'm Emerald, and this is my brother, Cobalt." He nudged the blue alimon.

"How do ya do?" Cobalt said in greeting, smiling.

"Uhh...hi?" Max said, somewhat nervous. Part of him was glad they finally found what appeared to be friendly alimons. But another part remained suspicious about them. "I..take it you already know who we are?"

Fluke nodded enthusiastically. "You bet we do! You are Max, Fiona, Rodger, Fiona, Rump, Terri, Moynihan, Michelle, Buzz, and Caruso." He looked at each member as he called off their names, not making a single mistake. He seemed almost proud that he could remember the names, but the other alimons probably knew as well.

"Yeah that's right." Caruso said, looking slightly creeped out at how effortlessly Fluke had recited their names.

"I'm sure you are wondering why we came here." Emerald said, a sense of seriousness in his voice, but still having that amiable quality to his voice.

"Yeah, we wouldn't mind knowing why you broke into the lighthouse." Buzz said, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Or how you got past the scanners." Michelle noted.

"The scanners...?" Cobalt asked before he realized what Michelle meant. "Oh those scanners! Right right.." He lifted up something that was strapped around his neck. It looked like some kind of collar with a strange insignia strapped to it. "This is how. It creates a temporary cloak of invisibility for us, allowing us to slip past certain security devices." He noticed the shocked expressions he was getting an laughed. "What? You didn't think we alimons had some advanced technology of our own?"

"I would say no, but considering our arch nemesis is an ancient velociraptor using an orange substance to recreate the dinosaur age, I can't say I'm too surprised by this." Rodger said.

Emerald nodded his head. "Understandable, yes." He gently rubbed a feather on the back of his neck. "I apologize if we gave you a fright. But we feared that if we didn't sneak past your security, the alarm would go off and you would have attacked us without hesitation, especially since your past alimon encounters haven't been very pleasant."

"You could say that again." Fiona said, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Unpleasant doesn't even describe them." Caruso added in.

"Yeah, I heard this boy killed Staka." Cobalt said, his brown eyes on Buzz. The boy looked at him in shock. He got a hard nudge from Emerald and received a glare from Fluke. Cobalt sighed and lowered his head. "Sorry. But we all know it's true."

"How do you know...?" Buzz asked softly. The alimons turned to him, curious. "How did you know that I killed an alimon?"

"The same way that we know so much about you." Fluke said. "It's not just our enemies that have been watching you. We have too, to protect you."

The Dino Squad looked at Fluke, eyes slightly widened. They weren't sure what to make of this new information. There were more alimons? And they also know about them? What else did they not know about these creatures? And Fluke's comment on protecting them had them at unease. They started to realize that they were in danger probably far longer than they thought they were.

Part of them wanted to send these alimons away. They didn't know if they wanted to hear any more from them. But part of them still wanted to speak with them. This is the first time they have gotten any useful information from an alimon. And these alimons seem amiable and overall calm or playful. They hadn't attempted to bite or slash any of them. Perhaps they would be able to provide all the answers they wanted to get.

"Where is Stone?" Moynihan asked, taking note that Stone appeared to be absent.

"Yeah..he said he was going to come here, along with some friends." Caruso said.

"You're looking at his friends." Fluke said.

"You're his friends?" Max said, staring at the alimons.

Fluke nodded, smiling. "Yes, you bet we are."

"Well you're his friend." Emerald said, staring at Fluke before turning back to the Dino Squad. He lifted his head up a little higher. "I'm Stone's son, and so is Cobalt."

Everyone in the room was in utter shock. They weren't sure if they heard right. But a nod from the alimons indicated that Emerald spoke the truth. This confused the group. How could two of these alimons be offspring to Stone? There was only one way this could be true...

"You mean Stone is an...." Max started to say.

"Alimon? Yes..I am." The group turned around and saw Mr. Stone standing next to Fluke, a hand on the alimon's broad shoulder. Noticing the looks he was getting, he smiled and shook his head. "I know, I should have told you about this before." He turned to Moynihan, who looked the most puzzled and shocked. "I especially should have told you, considering how long we've been friends. I apologize. But I had to wait until the right time before I could reveal this to you. Now to get into something more comfortable so we may speak..."

Stone's body glowed and he began to rapidly change form. He grew larger, claws growing from his hands and feet, a tail elongating from behind him, his hair turning into feathers. Within seconds, he was fully transformed into a grey and white alimon, yellow eyes staring at the group. Despite the change in physical form, Stone still appeared friendly, a smile spread across his jaws.

He lowered his heard towards Moynihan. "What is it you would like to know? The time of talk is now..."

At first, Moynihan didn't respond. She was still in shock to learn that Stone was actually an alimon after all these years. She didn't understand why he couldn't have told her earlier. What was he afraid of? That she would reject him? That felt like nonsense to her, but then she realized why he kept it a secret. She herself rarely confided in anyone that she was a velociraptor. She even took a risk when she found out some of her students were contaminated with primordial ooze and told them what she really was. At the time, she thought nothing of it, but thinking back, she realized it was pretty stupid move. She was relieved that her students still trusted her and never revealed her secret to anyone.

She looked at her students. Some were looking at the alimons and others were looking at her, waiting for her to answer Stone's question. She turned back to Stone. If he really was willing to give out any information they wanted, they could find out what those aggressive alimons were actually up to, why they attacked, among other things. She could also possibly learn if they should remain worried or if the alimons aren't really up to anything that severe. They've obviously been around for a long time and yet hadn't seen any sign of trouble from them, outside of the murders of course.

Her eyes widened slightly. She had almost forgotten about the murders. She narrowed her eyes slightly at Stone. She knew the first questions she was going to ask. Stone waited for her to answer, his eyes relaxed yet focused. "Who were those alimons that we encountered earlier? And why did they murder innocent civilians?"

Stone sighed softly. He spoke solemnly, "I had a feeling that was going to be your question. And I doubt any answer I give you will comfort you."

Moynihan nodded. "I didn't expect it to. But please just answer my question. My students and I have been baffled by these alimons and you're the first one to offer any real answers to us."

"Yeah," Max chimed in. "One of the alimons seemed so determined to keep her name a secret."

"And for good reason." Stone said, sitting down on his haunches. "Many of them, like myself, have human disguises and don't change their names; they still refer to themselves by the same name they have in alimon form. Their human forms also are not always befitting of how they actually are. These two measures are to prevent anyone from linking their human and alimon forms together."

"But...that doesn't make sense." Buzz said.

"Yeah...if you know these alimons as well as you say they do, wouldn't you be able to notice them easily?" Rodger said, sounding as confused as Buzz.

Stone nodded. "That is very true. These measures have no effect on me, however it does work on you." The team stared at him, surprised. "Why does it surprise you? These alimons are well aware of you and the threat you pose, and thus they don't want you to know how they look in human form, nor do they want you to know their names. They'll never give out their name, not even if you threatened them with death." He tapped his tail slowly on the ground. Rump was behind him, pawing at the tail. Stone ignored him as he continued, "They've been working on in keeping the fact that the alimon species was still alive secret from the human society. If someone came close to figuring it out..."

"...they would be killed." Max finished, his eyes widened slowly in realization. Suddenly the murders were starting to make sense. All those people must have gotten close, or even realized, that alimons existed and were still around.

"That is correct. And as you probably all could guess, that's what happened to those who were killed." Stone explained. "They must have seen one of these alimons and, to keep them from telling anyone else, were promptly killed. Sometimes, they would go even further and kill anyone who tried to investigate the corpses, hence why there was an attack at that building where all those people were killed when they were trying to do an autopsy on the body."

"And who are these alimons?" Terri asked.

Stone turned towards her, then looked at each member of the Dino Squad. He cleared his throat and said, "There are not one, but two alimon packs. There is my own pack, the Rock Rangers. Then there's the Darkarians, the pack you've encountered before. They are distinguished from our pack with the scar on their shoulders, normally on the left one. The Darkarians used to be part of my pack until they rebelled against us and went off to create their own pack with their own rules." He placed a paw on his chest. "While my pack values honor..." He held out his paw in an explanatory gesture. "..the Darkarians value power."

"They sound like someone I know." Moynihan said, eyes narrowing as she remembered some of the things Veloci told her about.

"If you're talking about Dr. Veloci, then yes they are kind of like him." Stone explained. "But believe me, Dr. Veloci is practically an angel compared to the Darkarians."

This took the Dino Squad and Moynihan by surprise. They hadn't expected Stone to say anything like that. Their concern was that Veloci would join forces with the Darkarians and use their force against them. But according to Stone, the Darkarians were even worse than Veloci. They couldn't help but wonder how they could be worse. Some weren't sure if they wanted to know the answer.

"..worse?" Fiona said nervously. "How could they be worse?"

Stone sighed, his head lowering a bit. He didn't look like he wanted to answer the question, but he knew he had to. "Veloci had already been attacked by them, two of them. They almost killed him, too. He had to be saved by my adviser, Donovan. He told me Veloci was in horrible shape when he found him. He was ripped and torn in many places, and a large chunk of flesh ripped from his back. Had it not been for the interference of Donovan, he would have been killed."

Caruso looked angry. He took a step forward, pointing a finger at Stone. "And why didn't he just let that rancid reptile die?! What good will come out of letting him live?!"

Stone narrowed his eyes at Caruso. "If the Darkarians get a hold of Raptor Dyne, none of you will be safe..." Caruso's eyes widened and he took a step back. The other members looked equally shocked. "Yes, that's right. One of the Darkarians' goals is to seize control of Raptor Dyne. They are interested in Veloci's equipment and want to use it for their own purposes. If the Darkarians take over, it would be like you're facing an army of Veloci clones on steroids." He closed his eyes. "Trust me, you do not want Veloci to be killed. For you to live, he must live too."

"Is that all they are after? Raptor Dyne?" Michelle asked hopefully. Stone shook his head slowly. "What else do they want?"

"They want the lighthouse too." There was a collective of gasps in the room. "All of you, as well as Veloci and his top ranking men and dinosaur morphing employees, are all on their high priority target list. They want to kill all of you first and then take over both bases. They see you all as potential threats to their mission. They don't want anyone knowing about what they are doing, and thus they want to remove the two highest level threats: Raptor Dyne and the Dino Squad. They've been watching you both, learning what they can, and plan on using what they've learned against you."

Managing to work up the courage to say something, Max asked, "...how did they learn so much about us...?"

Stone answered, "Through spying on you, listening on on conversations, whatever they could, and they have the information stored where they are hiding. Most of the Darkarians likely know of the information and have studied it. My pack has done the same thing, gathering information on you when we could, however we were only gathering information for your safety. The more we know about you, the better we felt we could assist you from the Darkarians. I know you probably are skeptical, but trust me, my pack will never harm you."

"And just what is this mission of theirs?" Moynihan asked.

"Similar to what Veloci wants, to transform the world into what they feel it should be. But their idea of transforming this planet is more dramatic than what Veloci has in mind. If they succeed..." Stone said, his voice darkening. "...there will be far more at stake than just the human civilization..."


	17. Unwanted Suggestion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Peter grumbled as he walked down the sidewalk, cars zipping by him constantly. He didn't understand why Veloci wanted him to go back to a museum now, especially when it was rush hour. But Veloci was persuasive and it was difficult to get him to change his mind about something. Peter wasn't looking forward to another raid. Even though it wasn't on the same museum, he was concerned that the museum he raided would have alerted the media. He may be big in apatosaurus form, but that didn't make him invincible.

He didn't understand why Veloci wanted to regain control of the company already. He still had some visible injuries and it was obvious he wasn't as strong as he once was. Peter wanted to tell Veloci to take it easy and lay low for a while longer, but Veloci wouldn't have it. Oh well, there wasn't anything he could do about it. Peter had come to accept that Veloci thought differently than people, since he's a velociraptor and all. Still, he would think that even a velociraptor would know it's not wise to run a company while still so badly injured.

He thought back to the creature he and Kista caught before they found Veloci injured. He knew the creature had to have attacked Veloci. It was the last thing that came into Raptor Dyne before the incident. But for a while, there was no proof or evidence to support his theory. He had talked with Veloci recently, who finally decided to tell him what had happened. He had confirmed that not one, but two alimons had attacked him and almost killed him. Peter was confused. When he questioned how there were two, Veloci told him that Dr. Axel was an alimon herself.

Peter wasn't sure what to think of this. He had assumed the alimons were just normal dinosaurs. The one they caught hadn't appeared to be very bright. It hadn't shown any true signs of intelligence and, though a bit of a challenge in the fight, was somewhat easy to take down. Easier than the Dino Squad, that's for sure. This suggested that the alimons were a lot smarter than they had anticipated. He couldn't tell yet just how intelligent they were, but they were smart enough to be able to put on a show to fool them. However, because Veloci hadn't given all the details, Peter wasn't sure how the black and white alimon got out of his cage. If he had done it himself, then the alimons were even smarter, and even bigger of a threat than previously thought.

Understandably, Veloci wasn't interested in pursuing the alimons for a while. He wanted to create stronger weapons and stronger cages before he would try to capture another one. And this time, he planned on many security measures to ensure a repeat of the last time wouldn't happen again. Peter didn't know why Veloci still wanted to study the animals at first, but Veloci explained that, as he thought of it, the alimons might still be useful to him in someway. He wanted to learn about them first, and planned on dissecting at least one.

As Peter continued his walk down the street, he heard a couple sounds. He stopped and looked around. It sounded as if someone had kicked a wall or something hard. When he didn't hear it again, he shrugged it off and continued his walk. A moment later, he heard the sound again. Growling softly, he decided to investigate the sound. He knew it was what Veloci would want him to do. Peter stepped onto some soft grass and noticed an alleyway nearby. He looked in, but didn't see anything unusual. Just some trash cans and garbage bags.

He heard the sound again and started to get irritated. Just where was this sound coming from? He looked around, but couldn't see anything or anyone. After a few minutes of frustrated searching, he eventually found what he believed to be the source of the sound. One of the houses he was standing near had a ladder leaning against it, and there was a guy standing on it, spreading paint on his house. Peter glared at the man and grumbled. Feeling like his time was wasted, he continued down towards the museum.

When he arrived there, he decided to go for a different approach than before. Originally he had gone dino almost right away and chased away as many people as he could before attempting to grab a few fossils. This time, he decided to go inside first and try a different idea, perhaps using a fire alarm instead. He didn't want to accidentally link himself to the other raid.

He walked inside the museum. All he could see were hallways at first, but he knew better. One of these hallways would lead to the room with the displayed fossils on it. He read the signs, trying to find where exactly the mammalian fossils were. Veloci was still interested in using them since they were just mammals and not precious reptile fossils.

Once he had found the right hallway, he started to go down it. It didn't take long for it to widen out suddenly and give way to the ancient mammal room. There were many other people already there, looking at the fossils. Despite the relatively small size of this museum, Peter was impressed at the diversity of the mammals they had. They had not only well known mammals, but a few of the more obscure ones too.

After a moment, he started to hear voices. He looked around and noticed the voices were coming from a lower part of the mammalian room. He saw stairs near the side of the room and took them down. He walked quietly, listening to the conversation. He couldn't make out their words at first, but as he got closer to them, the words became more distinct. The voices were coming from a small hallway next to a door he could tell was for authorized use only. He stayed where he was and saw two people, both in uniform, speaking to each other. He kept himself hidden and strained to listen to what they were saying.

"So do you think these fossils will be taken too, Nyoka?" Said one of the men with a somewhat bored tone of voice.

The second man, Nyoka, nodded his head. "Yes, why not? I mean, the guy obviously wants something to do with the fossils. Otherwise, why take them? I'm sure this place is next on the list."

The first man chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you are right." He tilted his head up and looked at the large mastodon skeleton that was located near the edge of the higher level. "Still, the guy isn't very bright you know? Sending only one person to get the fossils. Kind of foolish if you ask me."

"Ah, very true, Brasil." Nyoka said, smirking. "But Dr. Veloci never was all that intelligent anyway. I mean, look at how long it took him to realize who the Dino Squad were!"

Peter growled softly. He hated it when someone insulted his boss. He was about to say something when realization slowly sank in. These people were aware of the previous raid, knew about the Dino Squad, and might even know Veloci's plans. How could they have known? They obviously weren't from Raptor Dyne, and there was no way he could tell if they were alimons or not unless they transformed. He remained quiet and listened to more.

Brasil chuckled at what Nyoka said. He and Nyoka obviously didn't think very highly of Dr. Veloci. Brasil took a moment to scan the area, probably looking to make sure the other people in the room were following the rules, then turning his attention back to Nyoka. "While we have known for a long time, Dr. Veloci only somewhat recently learned the truth. You'd think the guy would have picked up on it if he had just put two and two together. Really, all the numbskull had to do was question how there was never five teenagers and five dinosaurs in the same place at the same time."

"Either way, he does now know." Nyoka said simply, the smile gone from his face. He turned more serious, frowning softly. "And now he wants these fossils. According to the news we before, several mammalian skeletons were stolen. There hasn't been another attempt but, if we know Veloci, he'll likely be wanting more."

Brasil shook his head slowly, grimacing slightly. "Yeesh..not really sure what he wants with these old bones anyway."

"Whatever it is, probably has something to do with another experiment of his." Nyoka said, scratching his head lightly with a finger. He froze suddenly when he thought he heard a sound. He looked over to where Peter was, but didn't see anyone. Nyoka shrugged and looked back to Brasil. "Anyway, when do you think the next invasion will be?"

Peter, who had ducked behind something to hide, listened intently. Another invasion? What could they be talking about? He then realized they were probably talking about Raptor Dyne. Perhaps they really were alimons in disguise. He moved in a little closer and strained to hear what was being said.

Brasil grinned. "Soon I hope. There won't be another mission if Axel had done her job right. How hard could it have been to kill Veloci? He was practically gift wrapped for her! Plus she had Paradox with her too. And Veloci was alone even! It should have been a piece of cake!"

"Until Donovan intervened, yes." Nyoka nodded his head. "But no matter. Veloci is still injured and weak. If we strike soon enough, he'll be out of the picture." He scratched his chin thoughtfully, grinning. "If memory serves me right, our boss wants the next attack to be at that one entrance at Raptor Dyne..forget if it has a name...the one with the large metal doors, where he took the Dino Squad that one time..."

"Oh I think I know what you're talking about. Yeah, yeah. I heard that was a weak point in his security or something. Or so our boss says. Striking there would be most effective." Brasil said, chuckling.

Peter heard enough. He slowly crept out of the hallway and headed up the stairs slowly, quietly. The fossils would need to wait. He must report back to Veloci about this. He was certain Veloci would be more interested in the fact that the alimons were going to kill him than some mammalian fossils. At least this time, they'll be better prepared and know where they are going to strike.

Peter was unaware that Nyoka and Brasil were looking straight at him from where they stood. As he disappeared, Brasil chuckled softly, crossing his arms. "Do you think he was able to hear us clearly?"

Nyoka sneered, "Well of course. We spoke loud enough for him. Now if we just give him a few hours, he'll deliver the false information to Dr. Veloci."

"Then we can send someone else to another point at Raptor Dyne." Brasil added in.

As if to joke, Nyoka laughed. "I guess there won't be an stolen fossils tonight!" The other people who were in the room stared at him blankly, confused. Nyoka just ignored them.

___

"But I don't want to go!" Oscura pouted, crossing her arms in defiance.

This hardly deterred Kista, who immediately seized Oscura by the arm and started to drag her down the hallway. "I don't care if you don't want to go or not. You're going anyway."

Kista had found out about a relatively new hair salon in Boston and she wanted to take Oscura there. She was getting a little tired of seeing Oscura's straight, long hair. Oscura never was the type who liked putting her hair up. She preferred it plain and straight. Kista was hoping to take her to the hair salon and try to give her hair some pizazz. She felt it would do her some good.

But she was met with strong resistance from Oscura, who was determined not to go. But Kista still insisted she should go. Kista continued to drag Oscura down the hallway. For a while, Oscura resisted, using her claws to dig into the walls, trying to slow down. But the woman was stronger and eventually she resorted to picking Oscura up off the ground. The teenager demanded to be put back down, but she was simply ignored.

Oscura would have struck Kista, but refrained from doing that because she knew Kista could report her. She didn't care about obeying Kista, but she did care about obeying Veloci. The last thing she wanted was to be on his bad side. So instead of fighting back, she just relaxed in Kista's arms, looking very annoyed. She didn't get why Kista wanted her to go to the hair salon. She never saw the value in getting one's hair done. It was just going to mess up again.

Kista ignored the looks she got from other workers at Raptor Dyne and didn't set Oscura back down until she reached her car in the parking lot. After setting her down, she unlocked the door and gestured Oscura to climb inside. Oscura just rolled her eyes and started to walk away. Narrowing her eyes, Kista opened the door, seized Oscura's arm, and yanked her into the car, strapping her in. She walked over to the other side and got into the driver's seat and shut the door.

"I don't see why you must make this so ochre, Oscura. Trust me, you'll feel a lot better after you visit the hair salon." Kista said as she put the key in the ignition. The car roared to life and they started to pull out of the driveway.

Oscura rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. Personally I'm happy with the way my hair is."

Kista couldn't help but grimace slightly. "You don't get sick of the same straight hair day after day after day?" Oscura smirked and shook her head. Kista sighed. "You're really missing out. You humans and your hair salons really are irriguous!"

Oscura replied, "Whatever you say."

It didn't take long for them to reach the new salon. It was located near the restaurant where Kista was spying on two former Raptor Dyne members. It was also where she learned about the Dino Squad for the firs time. But she didn't come here to think about memories. She grabbed Oscura's arm and dragged her towards the building, taking note of the fancy dragon-dinosaurish statue out in the front.

It wasn't very big. Then again, most hair salons she's been to weren't very large. There were a couple customers getting their hair done, others sitting down in chairs, waiting for their turn. Kista breathed in the smell of the salon, enjoying it. She often liked the smells, particularly of the different shampoos they had. Oscura, on the other hand, wanted to leave. She never liked being in places like this. She felt cramped and the smells were irritating to her.

Kista approached the cashier's desk. The cashier, a young woman, probably a tad younger looking at Kista, smiled. She wore a plain white shirt with long yet thin blue pants."Hello, how may I help you today?"

Kista had already had things planned out for Oscura. She smiled at Oscura, then turned to the woman. "This is just for my daughter here." Oscura shuddered as she heard the word daughter. She hated it when Kista called her that. "I would like her hair cut to shoulder length..scratch that, about half an inch above the shoulder. Then add a couple layers on it and some curls."

Oscura said, "But I..."

But it was too late. The cashier had already written this stuff down, received the money from Kista, and left to find someone to do Oscura's hair. While she was doing this, Kista pulled Oscura over to some nearby chairs and got her to sit down. Oscura glared up at Kista, not very happy with her. But Kista just ignored her and leaned back, enjoying the atmosphere of the hair salon.

"We should come here more often. It's really quite nice here." Kista said softly. "Quiet and calm."

Oscura snarled. "I hate it here. I want to leave now!"

"Well it's too late for that." Kista said, closing her eyes. "It's already been paid for. So just be yawp and relax. Trust me when I say you'll enjoy this. Besides..." She chuckled. "..how do you think you'll get a special someone if you don't put some pizazz in your appearance?"

Oscura growled, "I'm not interested in anyone. Love just gets in the way."

Kista chuckled. She expected this kind of response from her. "Whatever you say, Oscura. But don't worry. You'll warm up to the idea."

The two females didn't have to wait long. Within moments, a young male approached them. He was dressed in light red suit and pants, had a beige shirt underneath the suit, and his hair was dyed green, making him stand out in the crowd easily. He smiled warmly as he approached, even when met with the cold stare from Oscura.

Kista pushed Oscura up and gestured her to follow the young man. Oscura reluctantly followed him near the rear of the room where there were some chairs up against sinks. She groaned softly but climbed into the chair. The man put a cloak around her to keep her dry and proceeded to wash her black hair. After he was done, he rubbed her hair with a towel to quick dry it, then guided her over to a chair closer to the front of the store.

Oscura took notice Kista was able to see her. She growled when Kista waved to her and turned her head away, pretending she doesn't see her. She climbed up into the spinning chair and waited impatiently as the young man blow dried her hair. It didn't bother her as much as she expected, but it was still annoying to her.

Before he stared, the cashier approached him, holding a slip of paper. He turned to her. "Yes, what is it, Sapphire?"

The young woman, Sapphire, held out the slip of paper. "This is what this young lady's mother wants for her."

The man took it and read it. He chuckled. "I know, I know. You already told me."

"Sorry, Tanner. I was worried you would have forgotten." Sapphire said, smiling. She turned and walked back to the register, noticing some more customers.

The man, Tanner, smiled and shook his head. He turned his attention back to Oscura. "Now, let's work on this hair of yours. After I'm done, you won't even recognize yourself!"

Oscura muttered, "Yeah I'm sure..."

___

The Dino Squad were silent for several minutes after Stone told them the dangers of the Darkarians possessing Raptor Dyne. The next hour or so was devoted to more questions and answers. Stone didn't want to tell everything right away, but he did give out a bit more information, including the names of the two other alimons they had encountered, Violet and Stormwhite. Stone also told them how lucky they were that they weren't killed, and how they should have been more appreciative that Staka had prevented Stormwhite from killing them.

Stone also briefly explained what had caused the separation of the two packs. Millions of years ago, when the pack was still one and different laws in effect, one alimon in particular got sick of the current ways and tried to rise to power. He was thwarted, but afterwards left and took nearly half the pack with him, creating a new pack called the Darkarians with their own set of laws. The Rock Rangers had tried to make peace with them, but the Darkarians were more interested in forcing them to give into their ways and become one pack again.

This had begun a war that lasted for a long time. The two packs still fought bitterly amongst each other and both sides have had their share of traitors, joining the other pack. The war had even dramatically changed some personalities, such as making originally violent alimons timid while alimons that were docile became vicious. Stone had not yet explained how they survived into modern times, but some members of the squad suspected it was similar to how Moynihan had survived for millions of years.

Stone had decided he explained enough for now. He didn't want to waste too much time talking about his people and wanted to spend more time coming up with ways to protect the Dino Squad as well as Raptor Dyne from the Darkarians. "We never really wanted to get involved." He explained, his tone serious. "We wanted to live among humans in peace and had foolishly thought the Darkarians wanted the same. We had even formed a truce, both sides promising not to stir up any trouble. Then the Darkarians quickly backed out on this promise and started showing unusual attention to Raptor Dyne, then later you, the Dino Squad. We hoped that things wouldn't go too far, but now that the Darkarians have started their move, we the Rock Rangers are forced to step in."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing?" Max asked. "Are you going to set up fort here at the lighthouse? Follow us around...everywhere?"

Caruso winced slightly. "I hope they don't really follow us everywhere we go. There are some points where privacy is greatly appreciated."

Stone chuckled at this. "Oh we understand all right. I must confess, though, I had considered that route, assigning a body guard for each of you. I felt that was a little extreme, along with the fort thing. So I thought of a different solution. This one you might be more willing to go along with."

"Of course you are welcome to decline, but we strongly encourage you to go with this idea." Emerald said, looking at the members of the team. "We are only thinking of your safety."

The Dino Squad looked at each other, wondering what to make of this. They weren't sure what idea Stone and the alimons had in mind for them. If it meant their safety, why wouldn't they be willing to go along with it? But judging from the way it sounded, maybe they won't like the idea about to be suggested. It might be extreme, or go against their ideals. They wanted to say something, but decided to wait for Stone to continue.

"We hope you don't take this in any offense. At least consider the idea." Cobalt said.

"Yeah." Fluke said, nodding his head. He looked over at Stone. "Stone here has never led us wrong. So he won't steer you wrong either."

Stone smiled at the other three alimons in the room. He turned back to the Dino Squad, who were waiting to hear his suggestion. He cleared his throat a bit and relieved an itch on the side of his scaly muzzle. "The idea is that you learn how to defend yourselves against alimon attacks."

Rodger lifted up a hand and said, "Wait, wait..is that your suggestion?"

"Pretty much yes." Stone said.

Rodger frowned slightly. "Why would we get offended by that?"

"By the means of how you learn." Stone said, his eyes narrowing a bit. "You see, neither Raptor Dyne nor you guys have the right kind of experience to deal with alimons. This is something foreign, something new. We don't fight entirely like anything else you've faced. As of now, both you and Raptor Dyne would do very very poorly against even the lowest ranking alimons in both our packs." The grey alimon took note of the frowns he was getting. He sighed softly. "Even stating the truth offends you in this case. Understandable. I do not mean to downgrade your abilities. But what I say is true. You are more likely to lose against our lowest ranking members than win in your current condition."

"Of course we can do something to change that." Cobalt said, walking up to Stone and standing next to him. "If you are willing to allow us to teach you, to train you, you can become better fighters against the Darkarians."

"Granted, it would mean going against what you've learned." Emerald said, sounding even more serious than he had before. "It would mean adopting violent tactics, to be willing to go as far as kill. It would mean abandoning your peaceful ways of resolving conflicts and adopting aggressiveness. The Darkarians may be sentient, but that doesn't mean peace will work with them. Trust us; we've tried that route and it doesn't work."

"If you are willing to accept training and allow us to build you lethal weapons, you will stand a chance against the Darkarians." Stone said, raising his head a little higher.

The Dino Squad remained silent for several moments, most of them looking pretty angry. Despite the fact the alimons had attempted to soften the blow, they had hit a sore spot. They felt offended because the alimons had pretty much indirectly called them weak and unable to protect themselves. And they were also offended by how they apparently wanted them to throw away their original beliefs and adopt ways they didn't agree with.

Moynihan was especially upset. She had spent a long time training the Dino Squad to avoid violence when they could, and she wasn't about to allow them to go against that. She spoke up, "Mr. Stone, I understand that you are only trying to help, but there must be another way. I..."

Stone raised a paw, interrupting her abruptly. "Before you continue, consider this. Not too long ago, you had been captured by Dr. Veloci, and, during a storm, had unleashed a mind-controlled Moynihan along with two mutantsaurs, along with his dinosaur-changing minions, and nearly killed you all. How did you resolve that? You certainly didn't 'peace' your way out of that one. You fought back, violently I may add. So tell me...what is so different about this time..?"

"It was different because...because..." But Moynihan wasn't able to think of anything.

"You can't come up with a reason because there isn't any. You know as well as I do that sometimes violence is the only way. I wish I were wrong in this case. I wish I wouldn't need to give you training. But I fear that is the only way, if you are to survive." Stone said.


	18. Proceeding Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Max frowned softly and looked at his teammates to see how they felt. Likewise, they didn't seem anymore thrilled about the idea than he was. Moynihan looked the most upset out of all of them, and he couldn't blame her. She hated resorting to violence and he knew she was thinking about some other way to resolve the conflict.

As for himself, he was not entirely sure what to think. He didn't like the idea of being trained, especially by creatures he didn't know had existed before. There were still many things they didn't know about alimons, like where they came from, what their lifestyles were like, what their rules were, among other things. He knew Stone meant well and he knew the others understand that too. But regardless he still wasn't really sure if he should accept Stone's offer or not.

Stone had made a good point. When they were all captured by Veloci, they had faced certain death. Veloci had planned things out so well and he and his minions were so competent that they had nearly lost their lives that day. Michelle was one of the major reasons they had survived at all. The other major reason was that they had, as Stone said, resorted to violence. They had understood then that they couldn't simply keep their distance anymore. They knew that they had to strike back, to fight ferociously. Was it really that hard to accept that they would need to do it again? Why were they unwilling to use the same tactic as before if it meant saving their lives?

It was fear. Max frowned a little further. That had to be it. They were afraid of something. They feared becoming like Veloci, who used violence to solve much of his trouble, including controlling his men. They didn't want to resort to thinking like Veloci or risk becoming just like him. They wanted to show that they were better than him by using other means of solving their problems. But in the end, sometimes violence really is the only way to take care of issues, and this is one such case.

The silence was finally broken by Caruso. "I'd say we accept training."

Fiona turned towards him, frowning slightly. "Are you sure, Caruso?"

He nodded his head. "Yes I am." The others were looking at him, waiting for him to say more. "When I was captured by Dr. Veloci and taken to that warehouse, I had tried to fight back to protect myself. I tried to do whatever I could not to give into him. But I wasn't prepared. I didn't fully understand how to deal with him. As a result, I underestimated him, and he took an extreme measure to control me." He gingerly touched his mouth. "I don't plan on making that same mistake again, not with an enemy as dangerous as these Darkarians. I say we accept this training Stone has offered us and better prepare ourselves. I don't want to be on the receiving end of whatever the Darkarians do to us if we underestimate them. I never want that to happen to me again...or let it happen to any of you."

Fiona swallowed a bit as she saw him still pressing a couple fingers against his mouth. Caruso had been forced to wear a hideous bridle on his head which had cut up his face and inside of his mouth badly. It had taken several weeks before he could talk without too much trouble. And while the cuts had healed and scars mostly gone, he sometimes still winced when he touched that area. She didn't know if it was because he remembered the pain or if there still was pain there.

"He does make a good point." Michelle said, narrowing her eyes a bit. It wasn't just Caruso who had suffered from Dr. Veloci's cruelty. She had too, for even longer than he did. "I also suffered from the bridle. I used to be more daring, less willing to listen to someone else. Veloci saw that I would be trouble for his company, so he used the bridle on me. I had submitted much faster than Caruso had." The others nodded their heads. This wasn't the first time Michelle told them that story. "While working at Raptor Dyne, I never really understood how to fight against Veloci. It had been so long since I started working for him, and I had gotten so used to his rules, I forgot how to fight back. I had gotten used to threats, beatings, all that stuff." She looked at the other members of the squad. "It wasn't until I met you guys that I slowly found the courage to go against Veloci."

Buzz didn't say anything, but he couldn't help but give a small smile to her. He was glad that they had met her. While she had done some terrible things in the past and she was the big reason why Caruso ended up kidnapped in the first place, he had forgiven her for that. She had proven herself to be a valuable ally and she more than made up for what she did by nearly sacrificing herself to save them.

"You both make good points." Moynihan said softly. She still sounded a bit unsure, but she looked like she was a bit more willing now to accept training from the Rock Rangers. She loved her students and didn't want to risk losing them again. She knew it was a risk to have them face the Darkarians, but it was an even bigger risk not to learn how to fight against them. She looked at her students and they looked back at her. "What do you kids think?"

"I admit I'm still not sure. I mean, it feels not so long ago we already fought for our lives. Now we must do it again, and against a new enemy we never heard of before." Max said, his voice reflecting his uncertainty.

"I'm not sure myself. I mean, after what they did to Mrs. Krell..." Terri's voice trailed off. "I wonder if our parents know what happened..."

Fiona said, "I'm sure they do." She turned to Moynihan. "It isn't easy for me to make this decision. But I agree with Caruso and Michelle. Maybe it is best for us to go on with the training. What is the worst that could happen?"

"We could risk wasting our time and maybe we never had to be trained to begin with. It is still possible we can handle this ourselves." Rodger said.

Buzz said, "Yeah, but what if we do need it? Do you want to run the risk of being not being prepared enough?"

Max and Rodger looked at Buzz for a few seconds, then looked at each other. They both knew Buzz had made a good point there. It would be more dangerous to not prepare enough than it would be to prepare too much. They understood that many more things could go wrong if they weren't prepared to fight the alimons. The fight with Veloci was different. They had faced him before and had a pretty good idea on how to deal with him, even if he hadn't fought with his full potential before he found out they could turn into dinosaurs. The Darkarians were a threat unknown to them. The last thing they needed was to encounter any nasty surprises. Goodness knows they had enough of that.

It didn't take long for Max to reach his decision. Being the leader of the group, he felt he spoke for everyone when he gave his answer. "We will accept training and see where it goes from there."

"Wise decision." Cobalt said, smiling.

"Indeed." Emerald said, slowly getting up. "We would not have tried to force you into it if you were to say no. But we would have still strongly recommended it."

"So when will training begin?" Caruso spoke up.

Stone slowly moved his head towards him, his eyes meeting his. "That will be decided after I discuss this with my pack and choose a trainer who will be willing to teach all of you. I have someone in mind. Bear in mind, he might be unpleasant and impatient, but he is an excellent fighter and it would be an honor for anyone, alimon or not, to be trained by him."

___

"I hate you..." Oscura muttered as she walked out of the building. Her once long, straight hair was cut up to slightly above shoulder length and was rather poofy and slightly curly. She didn't like the way it looked or felt. She wanted it to be like how it was before. But it would take weeks for her hair to return back to normal, longer perhaps.

Kista didn't bother apologizing to Oscura. Even if she were sorry, Oscura didn't accept apologies that often. She preferred to hold onto grudges rather than let them go. This did trouble Kista a bit, but she didn't think about it too much. She didn't want to force Oscura to change too much too quickly. She knew the girl would eventually turn around and change for the better after spending enough time with her. Kista usually never spoke about it, but she did care about Oscura, even when she hadn't adopted her. There was something about her that made her feel like she should take care of her.

"It was for your own good and you know it." Kista said, her usual smile on her face. "Don't you feel better having your hair in a new way?"

Oscura growled. "No I don't! If that guy comes near my head again, I'll dig my claws into him!"

Kista shook her head. "Go ahead and try that, palavar. Let's see how far you'll get with Dr. Veloci before he tears into you."

Oscura blinked and glanced up at Kista in surprise. Kista had sounded a bit darker than she normally did, and it was rare for her to make those kinds of threats to her. She didn't want Kista to think she was starting to lighten up, though, so she just shrugged it off like it didn't matter to her. "Whatever."

Kista was about to say something, but then she heard a ringing sound and a rumbling sensation in her pocket. She pulled out her cellphone and answered it. Oscura stopped and looked back at her, glaring as Kista spent a few minutes talking on the phone. She kind of liked it when she was on the phone because that was less time she had to speak with her. On the other hand, it still annoyed her, especially when she wanted to go back home quicker and Kista can spend a long time on the phone.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity to Oscura, Kista hung up the phone. She walked over towards the woman, but stopped before she got too close. "Glad to see you finally decided to rejoin reality, mom..." She said that last one with a great hint of sarcasm and annoyance. "..now let's go back..."

Although Oscura didn't ask about the call, Kista still felt obliged to tell her about it. "That was Dr. Veloci. He has ordered us to come back to Raptor Dyne now."

"He did?" Oscura said with great enthusiasm. She calmed herself down and spoke again in a softer voice. "I mean, he did?"

Kista replied, "Yes. He wants us to get back to Raptor Dyne as soon as possible. It's urgent."

As they started to head towards the car, Kista took note at how happier Oscura looked and how much faster she walked. Before, Oscura would slightly lag behind, but now she was ahead of her. She didn't bother moving faster. They were headed towards the same destination anyway. Kista was just disappointed that Oscura didn't show this much excitement over something that would better benefit her.

Once they reached the car, Oscura paused only long enough to let Kista unlock the doors. The young teenager immediately climbed inside the passenger's seat and buckled herself in. Kista did likewise in the driver's seat, put the key in the ignition, and started the car. She looked behind her and both left and right to make sure no one was in the way. She carefully backed up the car, moved out of the parking lot, and drove down the road towards where she knew Raptor Dyne was.

At first, Oscura had planned on keeping quiet until they got there. She sort of wanted to be surprised at what assignment she'd get, if any. But curiosity eventually got the best of her, like it often had, and she found herself looking towards her adoptive mother. "So..what exactly does Dr. Veloci want us for? Did his scanners pick up something?"

"He didn't say exactly what he wanted. But he did mention that Peter had returned from his mission with urgent news. Veloci insisted that we meet up with him for an important discussion. All he revealed to me so far was it had to do with the alimons." Kista explained. This certainly got Oscura's attention. The young teen's expression hardened, clearly remembering what the alimons had done to Veloci. "I have a feeling of what you are planning on doing, but I recommend refrain from doing so unless Veloci gives you an order. Unless things have changed, Veloci is still interested in capturing one of those accouterment perennials."

"Oh I still don't see why he wants to capture one of this..things..!" Oscura ranted, closing her hands into tight fists. "There's no use they can possibly serve! We should go after them, especially after how they almost killed Dr. Veloci!" Her anger continued to increase. She clenched her jaws so tightly, she started to ache. "What did Dr. Veloci ever do to them?! Sure he had one captured, but it wasn't Veloci himself who did that.." She turned towards Kista. "It was you and Peter! They should have gone after you, not Veloci!"

Kista blinked a few times, looking genuinely shocked by Oscura's sudden outburst. She rarely saw Oscura this upset. She rarely saw Oscura yell at her in that manner, which that kind of ferocity. She sighed softly. She sort of couldn't blame her. She knew Oscura still had a bit of a crush on Veloci, or what could be interpreted as one. She was fiercely loyal to Veloci and enjoyed being around him, even though he didn't enjoy it in return. If there was anyone Kista could say Oscura might love and care for, it was Dr. Veloci.

"I understand you are upset, Oscura. And I understand why you're so aphotic with Dr. Veloci. But listen here, you are not going anywhere with that attitude of yours. Dr. Veloci would not approve of any of his followers acting in a way that would jeopardize a mission. If you don't want him to be upset, I suggest you calm down." Kista said, her tone serious. She briefly looked over at Oscura, just for a second, to see the girl was still glaring daggers at her. Turning her attention back to the road, she said, "Violence is not always the answer, Oscura. One day, I hope you realize that."

Oscura seethed through her teeth, her breathing slightly raggedy. While she did manage to calm herself down a little, she was still worked up and still interested in getting the alimons back for what they did. She had a bone to pick with a white and blue one anyway for humiliating her. "Whatever you say..."

"Yes, I do say." Kista said, slightly sarcastic. As she made the turn she needed to in order to get to Raptor Dyne, she said, "If you allow your anger to lucid you, you will always fail. Try to do things with a mind of tranquility and you will see your performance improve. Remember when you had captured that girl..Terri?"

"Yes. I would have succeeded in killing her if her stupid sister hadn't gotten in the way." Oscura hissed softly.

"Well there you go again." Kista commented.

Oscura looked slightly confused. "Oh what are you talking about this time?"

"You're already getting angry about your failed attempt. And as I recall, you lost your temper when you fought Fiona. At least that's what you've told me."

Oscura hissed, "I wouldn't have lost my temper if she had just done what I told her."

"Which was?" Kista pressed on.

"I wanted her to surrender." Oscura simply stated.

"Which of course she wouldn't do. She was protecting her sister and you know that. You may have had a better chance had you not lost control of yourself. You could have landed a bite and you would have won." Kista explained. All the while she was talking, Oscura seemed to start to calm down a little. "Oscura, all I am asking of you is to control your temper. You'd win more fights if you didn't let your anger cloud your judgment."

___

The white alimon, the one in charge of the Darkarians, simply smiled as Brasil and Nyoka gave their report. The mission was a success. They had given false information to Peter, which will help them proceed with a new plan. The white alimon had been anticipating that Axel and Paradox would fail and had come up with a backup plan that shouldn't disappoint the pack as easily.

"Good..very good you two. You may take your leave." The white alimon said. The two alimons nodded their heads, bowing in respect, and turning around and leaving.

The white alimon was in another part of the cave, a narrow tunnel leading to these chambers. This was where the leaders of the Darkarians would meet and discuss plans and debates. The pack used to have one leader, but the white alimon had recognized the benefits of multiple leaders. Things were not only done faster, but more efficiently. He may be top ranking, but he still liked hearing the opinions of the other leaders of the pack.

He returned to the center of the room. Gathered in a large hole in the ground, covered with dried up grasses as if it were a giant nest, were the other members, including their newest member, Paradox. The white alimon had seen potential in Paradox and had been meaning to promote him. Though he failed the mission to kill Dr. Veloci, he was still impressed by his performance and promoted him. Axel was not very happy about this decision, but the white alimon insisted that they had enough aggressive alimons in the counsel; they didn't need any others.

Along with Paradox and himself, there were three other alimons. There was a dark blue and grey male, recognizable as Rorra, a black and red male, and a dark gray and black female. The white alimon approached the group, taking his place in his usual spot, which was slightly in front of the others. They formed an oval shape of sorts. They preferred sitting like this because they felt it was easier to speak to one another and easier to debate. Exactly why, they weren't sure, but they didn't argue about it.

Paradox, eager to make his first contribution to a discussion, was the first to speak up. "Since Nyoka and Brasil succeeded in their jobs, we should plan the invasion now!"

The black and red alimon glared over at him. "It is not your turn to speak..."

Paradox, realizing his mistake, lowered his head. "I apologize."

"No need." The female alimon said, her voice somewhat gravelly. "It was an honest mistake." She glared over at the black and red alimon. "Don't be so hard on him." The black and red alimon just rolled his eyes.

The white alimon cleared his throat, immediately silencing everyone. "You are correct, Paradox. We should begin our move. We have waited too long for this opportunity. We mustn't let it go to waste."

Rorra was the next one to speak up. "But, sir, if we attack now, wouldn't that..."

The white alimon shook his head slowly. He tapped his tail slowly on the soft grass as he spoke. "If the plan goes accordingly, we'll be able to sneak in through an unprotected area of Raptor Dyne. If we apply strategy, we'll be able to take it over rather easily. I am not saying there won't be challenges, but it's worth it when we know what the prize is." He licked his jaw once in anticipation.

"But it will still prove difficult. We will need some of our strongest warriors." The black and red alimon said, tapping his claws on the ground. "Even Axel will be required. Her violence will come in handy."

"True, but I'd regret bringing her along." Rorra said, narrowing his eyes. "Yes she is valuable as a pack member, but we should be careful. She isn't one to be completely trusted."

The black and red alimon pondered this for a moment. "Well yes, but without her, the mission could be a failure."

"Which is why we are bringing her along." The female alimon said, smirking evilly. "She has proven herself time and again. With her aiding the assault, we'll be able to claim Raptor Dyne as our own!"

Deciding to speak up but still nervous since it was still his first meeting, Paradox said, "Well we can always equip her and everyone else with..I dunno, armor, weapons, you know the drill."


	19. Two Trainers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

The black and red alimon immediately scoffed at this. He bared his sharp teeth at the newcomer, the feathers on his neck raising slightly. "Weapons are for the weak! We are alimons! We must use our own strength to take down our enemies! We have no need for weapons."

Paradox lowered his head slightly in respect, but he held a glare on his face. He knew if he wanted to remain part of this group, he would need to be willing to defend his beliefs with great tenacity. "Yeah well we may be alimons, but we are still vulnerable to human weapons! What do you think happens when we are shot in the head or the throat? Do you think the bullets just bounce off of us? No! They make their mark..and it can be fatal. We are just as vulnerable as any other living creature in this world."

The white alimon took note of this. "That is correct. We mustn't forget our own mortality. If too many of us perish in the raid, we can kiss the plan goodbye."

"But we cannot rely too much on the weapons." The female alimon said, backing up what the black and red alimon said. She looked at the male members of the council, licking her jaws once before continuing. "We have fought a long time against the Rock Rangers without need of weapons. We must not forget how to fight without weapons, for if we become too dependent on them, that could turn into our downfall."

"Times have changed." Rorra said, his eyes narrowing. His feathers lowered slightly and then returned to their original positions. "We may need to adapt our ways to deal with Raptor Dyne. They have nets, tar, among other things. We may be more powerful, but there's an awful lot of humans and even more of those weapons..."

"I agree." The white alimon said, nodding his head. "I like the idea of bringing in armor and weapons. It will increase our changes of taking over that place. Veloci is not prepared for armored weaponized alimons." He grinned evilly.

The black and red alimon, along with the female, both didn't look too happy about the idea. The black and red male quickly got up where he was sitting and moved towards the white alimon. He put his head very close to his, the eyes held steady. "Have you lost it? You never wanted to use armor or weapons before!"

The female backed him up. "Why the change of heart?"

"Because..." The white alimon said, getting up himself. He turned around and walked a few feet away before stopping. "We need Raptor Dyne to begin the next phase of our plan. If we mess up this attack, we may never get another chance." He turned his head to the side, looking at the others with one red eye. "I do not plan to fail..."

___

A few hours had passed since the Dino Squad and Moynihan had finished up their meeting with Stone. The Rock Ranger leader and the three alimons who came with him insisted that they go back to their pack. Stone said that he would bring the trainer with him the next day for a second meeting. Training would not officially begin until his chosen trainer had assessed the team and judged them. Stone said that this measure was necessary so that training will be more efficient and would go faster. When questioned why, Stone said that the key to effective training is understanding the strengths and limitations of the participants.

Another question that was brought up was why not take them straight to the hideout. Stone had his reasons, namely that he did not want the lighthouse to be unprotected. The Darkarians also wanted to obtain the lighthouse and if it were left completely unguarded for too long, the Darkarians would strike. This didn't sound convincing to some of the Dino Squad members, such as Max and Buzz, and they questioned why the Darkarians never done such a thing before since they had left the lighthouse momentarily unguarded during some missions. Stone's response to this was that the Darkarians wanted Raptor Dyne first since they found it to be a bigger prize than the lighthouse. After that, they would go after the lighthouse.

Before he left, Stone, Cobalt, Fluke, and Emerald offered some tips to keep them safe, though none of the advice really took them by surprise or improved their sense of security any. Knowing that the alimons also had human forms was unsettling for them. They had only known alimons to be large and sometimes colorful. For them to be able to transform as well, it meant that anyone could be an alimon in disguise. There was no way to know who was an alimon and who wasn't until it was too late.

In an attempt to help himself and his teammates feel more secure, Rodger took it upon himself to begin work on a new device. It would not be ready for a while. He wasn't sure when it would be available for use, but he hoped to have a blueprint available soon, perhaps even tonight if he worked on it hard enough. He was going to design a new type of scanner that would pick up alimon signatures even when they were in human form. While the device would not inflict harm on an attacking alimon, it would help make them feel more secure because they would be able to pick out which human is an alimon and which aren't.

Michelle was one of the couple members who weren't sure the plan would work. She pointed out that Veloci's scanners can not pick up their signatures unless they were in dino mode. While in full human form, there was no trace of the dinosaur DNA. This was where Rodger had to correct her. He pointed out the time when Caruso had used some of his dinosaur powers to win a football game. Caruso had barely used any of his dinosaur DNA and yet it still came up on the scanners. He also pointed out that, even in full human form, there were some traces of the dinosaur DNA, albeit dormant. If he continued to work hard, he could create a scanner that can detect dormant DNA, even that of an alimon's.

While Rodger was busy working on the blueprint, Fiona was busy working on the motorcycles. She was opposed to the idea of putting weapons on them, though she still considered that possibility if it came to it. She was instead working on enhancing some features on the motorcycles and adding a few more. She hoped to make the motorcycles faster while still being environmentally safe. This would help them run away from Darkarians if they were attacked. She was also putting in a few defensive features, such as a spilling feature to make the alimons lose their footing, slowing them down.

Another feature she was hoping to add was inspired by what the team had witnessed with Dr. Veloci. On the same day Caruso had cheated in a football game, the team had discovered that Veloci's truck had the ability to turn invisible. Dr. Veloci rarely used this feature for reasons unknown. Maybe it was unstable. Regardless, Fiona wanted to replicate it for her team. It was going to be a challenge though. She had never gotten a chance to look at this feature and she knew Dr. Veloci wouldn't allow her to come in to take a look. So instead she was sitting down in a chair, her spino-cycle right next to her, pondering on what needed to be done to achieve invisibility.

After a while, she lifted her head and looked out in front of her. On the long table was Rodger. He had a long blue sheet of paper flattened out on the table. He had a pencil in his hands and was scribbling some stuff on the paper. Occasionally he would get frustrated and erase what he just did. Fiona got up from her seat and walked over to Rodger.

"I'm still not sure if your device will ever work, Rodg. No offense or anything, but it was hard enough for you to design scanners to detect mutantsaurs." Fiona said as she approached him.

Rodger's eyes remained on the blueprint he was working on. "And what about you? How do you know that an invisible shield will be possible?"

Fiona stopped when she got as close to Rodger as she wanted. "Well Dr. Veloci managed to do it."

"Dr. Veloci has countless scientists to help him. The dude was bound to figure it out sooner or later." Rodger said, scribbling some more things on the blue paper. "And given what we've seen of other technology he's developed, it doesn't come to me as a surprise."

Fiona sighed. She knew Rodger was right. She sat down in the chair across from Rodger and tried to think of what to do. "I know it's not necessary, but I feel we could use this ability. It might help make us a little safer from these..Darkarians."

"I know." Rodger said, who finally looked up at Fiona. "I feel burdened myself. I want to create something that can detect alimons in human form, and while I truly believe I can, I can't help but feel overwhelmed. The task is enormous. It's never been done before. So believe me when I say this, Fiona. I understand what you're going through."

Fiona nodded her head slowly. But she didn't feel any less stressed. She gripped her head out of frustration, growling softly. "Oh it would be so much easier building an invisible cloak if I had access to Dr. Veloci's truck!"

Rodger frowned. "Yeah, like the guy's going to let his worst enemies investigate one of his equipment. I don't see that happening."

"I know that." Fiona said softly. She looked over at Rodger, taking note of the blue paper. She could see a white line here or there, but nothing coherent. "So how is your blueprint coming along?"

"Horribly." Rodger muttered. "I'm tempted to crumble this paper and throw it in the trash. I'm trying to think of a good design and how to make it do what I want, but nothing's coming up. Every time I think I have something, I realize something I didn't before and the design becomes useless, so I must start over."

Fiona nodded her head. "Sounds rough. Is this what you go through with your other inventions."

"Sometimes, but I haven't had this much trouble since..." Rodger trailed off for a moment, then finished, "..since when I lost my confidence. I'm about to lose it again."

"Oh Rodg.." Fiona reached forward and placed a hand on one of Rodger's thick arms. "I know you can do it. You've done so much for this time in the past. Don't give up."

Rodger smiled back at her. "Thank you. And you've done a lot for the team too. So keep working at it. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

Fiona smiled back. "Thanks."

___

Kista and Oscura had recently arrived back at Raptor Dyne. They were greeted by Zoom, who had been ordered to meet up with them and take them to the meeting room where Dr. Veloci awaited them. After they were led to the room, Zoom quickly left to resume his other duties. Kista waved goodbye to him. At first Oscura didn't, but a nudge from Kista made her reluctantly wave as well. This was one of many attempts Kista made in making Oscura more sociable.

The room itself was rather large, but there weren't many people in it. Other than themselves, the only other people present were Peter and Veloci. They sat near the end of the long table. Kista and Oscura took their seat as close as they could to Veloci without offending him. Once everyone was settled in, Dr. Veloci leaned forward, interlocking his fingers. He turned over to Kista, frowning. Oscura looked suspicious. Veloci usually didn't seem this upset unless something was wrong. Could it have something to do with what Peter had reported?

"It seems we might all be in trouble." Dr. Veloci said. It was clear from his tone of voice that he was serious, not making some attempt to mock a would-be enemy. "Peter has reported that these alimons may be coming to Raptor Dyne and take it over." He gestured towards Peter for him to explain.

"I was at the designated museum to steal some of their mammalian fossils. While there, I had overheard some workers talking. I was able to get close enough to them to listen to what they were saying. They were talking about taking over Raptor Dyne and, based on what I heard, they were alimons. Luckily, I was able to find out where they were going to attack, so I think we might be able to prepare and hold them back." Peter said.

Veloci said, "They'll be attacking at this building's back entrance. They likely think that entrance is this building's weak point. But when they arrive, they'll get a nasty surprise. I plan on having as many of my people stationed there as possible, including you three."

Kista nodded her head, listening to all this. She leaned back in her chair, scratching the side of her head thoughtfully. She wasn't entirely sure if this plan was a good idea. "Pardon me, sir, but don't you think that's a rubicund idea?"

Veloci narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Well..." Kista proceeded to tell Veloci her thoughts.

___

O'Ryan grumbled angrily as he picked up another heavy box and carried it over into Raptor Dyne. It was another box filled with things Veloci ordered. O'Ryan was one of the employees assigned to carry in the equipment. He hated doing it and felt he could be doing better things in his life. But he did respect Dr. Veloci, though it was mostly out of fear even if he won't admit it, and he did what he was told.

He wasn't alone. There was another worker in here with him, one of the older workers. The guy's helmet was off, so he was able to see the man's face and short, white hair. This was the same man who had managed to capture all of the Dino Squad members, but had fooled everyone into thinking he had captured teenagers instead. This was before Veloci knew the dinosaurs were really human. Other than that, the only other things he knew about this man was that he liked being called Dr. Blizzard or just Blizzard and he considered the 'perfect dinosaurs' to be ugly and didn't understand why Veloci wanted them at all.

O'Ryan returned to grab the next package, but it was unusually heavy. "Oh man, I hate it when they make these things too big!" He turned over to Blizzard. Despite his age, the man was still pretty strong. Maybe he would be able to help. "Hey, Blizzard! Can you give me a hand with this?"

Blizzard looked over at him, rolling his eyes. "Can't handle a little package like that yourself? Okay I'll help you." He received a glare from O'Ryan but said nothing.

Blizzard walked over to O'Ryan. He moved around so that he was facing the other end of the large box. He grabbed one end of it and O'Ryan grabbed the other. Together they managed to carry the box into Raptor Dyne and towards one of the large storage rooms. They set it down on the ground against a wall. Finished with the task, the two men left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Well that should be the last box for today." O'Ryan said, sounding a little relieved.

The older man next to him just shook his head. "Never be certain of anything for too long. You never know what will happen."

O'Ryan smirked mischievously. "Oh like when you lost a promotion because Dr. Veloci thought you mistook teenagers for dinosaurs?"

Dr. Blizzard did not look very amused. Crossing his arms, he glared back at O'Ryan and said, "Well it's to my understanding that you were thwarted by Caruso when you got footage of one of his friends transforming."

Now it was O'Ryan's turn to be mad. "Never mention that again..."

Dr. Blizzard smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey I'm just speaking the truth. Anyway we should both be getting back to our jobs. Dr. Veloci wouldn't like it if he found us chitchatting instead of working. So see you later!" With that, he turned and walked away. O'Ryan just glared at him before turning around and going his own way.

___

Ms. Moynihan was up in her bedroom sitting on her bed. She was thinking about the meeting with Stone earlier that day. Although she still trusted Stone and trusted her team and believed they would be able to make this work, she was still unsure if they made the right choice. She wasn't particularly fond of using violence as a means of solving problems, though she did understand that sometimes it was unavoidable. But there was something else troubling her about this that she did not relay to Stone or the others. She was worried about herself.

She hadn't been as bad as she was before, but sometimes she still feels like she loses control or almost does. She believes she was able to avoid it because she kept herself out of very violent situations for the most part. But if they were to fight the Darkarians, she was afraid she would have lapse back into that state of mind and become feral again, or at least increasingly aggressive. Despite it being old news, the chemicals Veloci used on her seemed to have a permanent effect on her, sometimes still causing her to become aggressive.

She sighed and looked over at a stand that was close to her bed. Perched on it was Cerulean. The bird was cleaning himself, preening his feathers. Moynihan reached over and gently stroked the bird's head and back. "I wish I could be as confident as my team. I know Stone means well, but I'm still unsure if he made a wise decision."

"You're still unsure?" Michelle walked into the room. "I'm sorry if I surprised you. I overheard someone speaking and wanted to check it out. Are you all right?"

"Oh I am now, child." Moynihan said, smiling at her adopted daughter. As Michelle walked over and sat down next to her on the bed, Moynihan said, "I'm just fine, believe me."

Michelle narrowed her eyes. She took note of the old woman's expression. "You don't look fine..."

Moynihan didn't bother trying to defend herself. She sighed, not really in the mood to argue. Plus Michelle's lived with her long enough to know when something was troubling her. "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell the others unless I say it's okay?"

Michelle looked confused, but still nodded. "I promise. So..what's bothering you?"

Moynihan let out a soft sigh. She pulled her hand away from Cerulean and placed it on her lap along with her other hand. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she wanted to tell Michelle what she was feeling. But she still trusted Michelle. Perhaps she could say something to help her feel better. "I'm just worried that I will go feral again."

This caught Michelle by surprise. "What are you talking about? You hadn't gone feral since..."

"Yes I know, dear girl. But listen to me." Moynihan said. "There have been times I would not feel like myself. I would become angrier than usual. You've seen that for yourself."

Michelle nodded her head. "Well yes that is true. But that doesn't mean you'll go feral."

Moynihan replied, "Still..I don't want to chance it. I fear that if I'm exposed too long in a very violent situation, I'll snap back and go crazy. I remember what happened the last time I lost control. I do not wish for it to happen again."

Michelle didn't like seeing her like this. She moved close to Moynihan until she was physically touching her. She then leaned against her, resting her head on the old woman's shoulder. Moynihan was usually calm and level-headed. But ever since that incident with Veloci, she hadn't been exactly the same. She did get angry more often than she used to. Michelle was never too concerned about it. She had never thought Moynihan would snap. The others never brought it up with her either.

"Oh Moynihan..I don't think you have much to worry about. I don't think anything bad is going to happen to you." Michelle said.

"But it is not me I'm worried about." Moynihan said, tilting her head up towards the ceiling. "It's the others I'm worried about, and you. I know there's a chance I won't lose control again, but what if I do? What if I end up harming one of you kids again? I don't wish to let that happen again..."

Michelle tilted her eyes upwards, giving her a sympathetic look. She moved one arm around Moynihan and gently gripped her in a half hug. "Then we'll be there to help you through it. Your students have managed to save you from yourself once. Your students can do it again."

Moynihan smiled down at Michelle. She did feel a little better knowing that her students were willing to help her if something went wrong. "Thank you, Michelle..." But she didn't feel better for long. Stone's words still bothered her and the implications made her feel worse. Could they be going to war against these creatures? "I just wish we didn't have to resort to violence. There must be a better way..a more peaceful approach."

Michelle nodded. "I agree. But sometimes there is no other alternative."

"Tomorrow, I'll speak with Stone again." Moynihan said. "Maybe I can convince him to try something different. Perhaps..speak with the Darkarians. Maybe some of them will listen to reason."

"Perhaps..." Michelle said, but she didn't sound too convinced. "Let's just see how things go from here."

The two fell silent, both reflecting on what happened and what may come. They had never expected things to turn out this way. They weren't sure what to expect once they were able to speak to an alimon that didn't want to kill them. But knowing the truth answered, as well as created, a lot of questions. Now they may be drugged into a battle that none of them had been anticipating nor wanted to participate in.

But they knew that they may have no choice but to be trained and join the battle. The Darkarians are a bigger threat than even Veloci, or at least that's how the Rock Rangers apparently viewed it. Why else would they consider saving Veloci's life? The idea of Veloci being defeated so easily didn't sit well with the Dino Squad. Until recently, Veloci was their most powerful adversary. Now something had arrived that was even worse and that was the Darkarians.

___

The next morning came faster than any of them had been expecting. Time went by faster than they thought. The team didn't show up at the lighthouse until school was over. School itself was a different story. Time seemed to move so much slower and as each member went to their classrooms, they expected to be attacked again or be contacted by Ms. Moynihan or one of the Rock Rangers. When school was finally over, the team quickly headed over to the lighthouse where they knew Moynihan was expecting them.

Moynihan waited near the top of the hill that the lighthouse was situated on. The team parked their motorbikes against the lighthouse and removed their helmets. Stone had told them to wait in front of the lighthouse for his return. He didn't say exactly when he would arrive, but he did say he would try to arrive sometime in the afternoon or evening. The meeting wasn't going to be too long. But despite that, some of the Dino Squad members were a little nervous. They didn't know what to expect.

After what felt like a couple hours, they saw a shape coming up on the horizon. The shape was dark in color and it was hard to make out what it was. As it came closer and up the hill, they recognized it as a somewhat long black car. The car moved as close as it could to the team without touching them. Feeling uneasy, the team stepped back. Moynihan remained where she was, frowning at the vehicle slightly. The car was parked and the engine died down.

Stepping out of the car was Mr. Stone, who in his human form. He smiled and waved at the Dino Squad. He walked up to Ms. Moynihan and shook her hand. "Greetings, Moynihan. Nice to see you again!"

Moynihan returned the greeting. "It's good to see you too, Mr. Stone. So where is that alimon you said you'd be bringing with for training?"

Mr. Stone frowned softly and looked back at the vehicle. "Well, about that..."

Max took a step forward. "Did you decide to cancel the training, Mr. Stone? Not that we're upset..we'll understand if you decided it wasn't worth your time to train us."

"No, that's not what I was going to say, child." Mr. Stone chuckled light-heartedly. "What I meant to say was that I brought two trainers with me."

"Two?" Fiona asked. "Why?"

Buzz narrowed his eyes. "Do you think we need that much help learning how to fight properly?" It was easy to tell he was being sarcastic with that remark.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't clear enough. The second trainer is not going to train you how to fight." Stone explained. Upon getting the confused looks, he pressed on. "She is to train you in how to heal yourself if you get hurt. Both the Rock Rangers and Darkarians have nurses, all females, and their job is to use plants and minerals to help heal our soldiers. I feel it is in your best interest to learn how to do this as well."

Stone moved over towards one side of the black car and knocked on it. A few seconds later, the door opened up. A tall man stepped out of the vehicle. He wore a black business suit, similar to Veloci's, with a blue shirt underneath. The suit itself had blue rings at the end of each sleeve. His hair was long and black but lacked any color stripes. He wore dark shades and his expression was cold and serious. He walked up to Stone and stood next to him.

"This is my advisor and one of my most trustworthy friends, Donovan." Mr. Stone said. "He will be your trainer for battle."

The sight of Donovan made the Dino Squad feel a little uneasy. Terri spoke up. "He..will be training us?"

"...yes." Donovan spoke in a dutiful manner. His cold stare met Terri's, making her step backwards. Donovan sighed and shook his head. "I thought you said they had at least some fighting experience. But they don't look very strong to me."

Stone smiled and gently nudged his friend. "Give them a chance, okay?" He then went over to the other side of the vehicle. He knocked on it a few times and took a step back.

The door opened up and another person stepped out, this one a woman. She wore long jeans, colored a sky blue with lighter blue stripes. Her shirt was a light blue as well. Her brown hair was short and curly, similar to Michelle's. She had lavender colored fingernails. She appeared rather short, looking to be not much taller than Fiona. She had a few scars on her arms and one on her neck. The most interesting scar she had was on her left eye. The shape looked slightly akin to that of a crescent moon.

When the woman took her place next to Stone, a solemn expression on her face, Stone introduced her. "And this is Crescent, a nurse from my pack. She will teach you how to use herbs and minerals to heal yourself in battle." Crescent didn't say anything. Instead, she just nodded, offering a small, though somewhat weak smile.

"Is she shy?" Max asked.

"Yeah, that she is." Stone replied. He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder in a comforting manner. "She used to be a little more outgoing, but since she's had that scar..." He stopped himself and sighed. "Let's just not talk about that for now. Let's begin the assessment."


	20. Facade Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

"I'm not sure why you want to begin an assessment." Donovan said as he took a few steps towards the humans that stood before him. Some looked at him cautiously, causing Donovan to roll his eyes. "They show some fear towards me...how can they be trusted to not do the same with the enemy? Showing fear is a sign of weakness."

Stone shook his head, chuckling lightly. "In your eyes yes. It's not a precursor to weakness, however. Don't forget that you used to, and sometimes still do, show fear. So don't be such a hypocrite, my friend. Now, judge them, and fairly too. You know how important that is."

Donovan sighed, slightly annoyed. He didn't always agree with Stone, but he never bothered to challenge him. He conceded to what Stone wanted and walked closer to the Dino Squad. He stopped a few feet in front of them. His eyes were narrowed, but it was hard to tell with the dark glasses he wore. He looked at each human, sizing them up, studying them. A couple of times, he shook his head slowly as if he were disappointed.

After a moment, he pointed to the group and said, "Morph now." The Dino Squad hesitated, looking at each other in confusion. Donovan didn't have a lot of patience and it was clearly apparent. He bared his sharp teeth and repeated his command, this time louder and with more force. "Morph now!"

Stone said, "Just do what he says. It's part of the assessment. He must now judge your dinosaur forms."

Moynihan nodded. "Very well then..."

Wordlessly, she and her students transformed in their dinosaur selves, including Rump. Originally he was going to be left in the house, but Stone had insisted earlier they should all let Donovan judge them, including Rump. Though small and not a full dinosaur, the mutant dog would still come in handy in the battle. Stone admitted to wanting to test the dog's bite strength soon, seeing how big the jaws were.

Donovan looked up at the now transformed Dino Squad. Standing before him now was a small mutantsaur dog, a tyrannosaurus, stegosaurus, styracosaurus, pteranodon, spinosaurus, baryonyx, guanlong, and velociraptor. Donovan hardly looked surprised at their ability to transform and didn't look afraid in the presence of a big carnivore like tyrannosaurus. Cracking the knuckles on his hands, he moved even closer. To aid himself in judging these larger creatures, Donovan transformed, revealing himself to be a black alimon with blue markings.

The first one he approached was Buzz. He reached out with a paw and seized Buzz's long head. He pulled down and tilted the head from side to side, studying him. He then proceeded to grab the wings and investigate them as well. He walked around Buzz a couple of times, looking at his overall body shape and appearance.

Without saying a word, Donovan moved onto the next person, which was Fiona. Since the spinosaurus was taller than he was, he had to gesture for her to lower her head and neck towards the ground. Once she did that, Donovan grabbed onto her, looking at her jaws, eyes, and neck. He also felt the muscle in her jaws and neck. He moved down her body, looking at her arms, legs, talons, sail, and tail.

Next up was Fiona's younger sister, Terri. The baryonyx looked worried, but still lowered herself so Donovan could more easily judge her. Donovan repeated the same things he did with Fiona, looking at Terri's overall body, muscle mass, and different body parts like the head, neck, and legs. He spent a little extra time on the hands, looking at Terri's enlarged hand sickle claw, something Fiona's dino mode clearly lacked.

Several minutes pass as Donovan continued looking at each member of the Dino Squad. He looked at their different features, depending on who he was looking at. When he looked at Max, he focused mainly on the legs, tail, and head, as well as looked at the sharp teeth lining his jaws. For Rodger, he spent most of the time looking at his overall body bulk and muscle mass, his frill and horns. Moynihan, he predictably spent more time on her legs and foot talons than her head and neck. Michelle, on the other hand, had equal time spent on her teeth and claws, though Donovan showed some interest in her long dewclaw which allowed her to grab with her feet.

For Caruso, again he looked at the body bulk and muscle mass he had, though mostly in the second half of his body, particularly his tail. He looked at the plates and spikes as well, touching them. Finally he looked at Rump. The only body part he bothered spending a lot of time on were the jaws, feeling the muscles that powered it and looking somewhat impressed an animal that small had a bite like that. After he was done, he released the dog and let him run back to the team. He closed his eyes and shifted back to human form and returned to Stone.

"So what is your analysis?" Stone asked.

Donovan sighed. "A little disappointing I admit. These guys are not as strong as full-fledged dinosaurs. They lack a bit of muscle mass. They also don't appear to be as agile as they could be if they were full-fledged dinosaurs. And because they were not dinosaurs to begin with, and because they were not trained in true fighting before, I fear they aren't going to be much in battle. They'll be easily defeated."

"Well what of Moynihan? She's a full-fledged dinosaur." Stone said, tilting an eyebrow.

"Even she needs some work." Donovan said, narrowing his eyes. "Living with humans has made her soft, at least in one area and that's fighting. She may be a real dinosaur and not just some human who gained a dinosaur form, but I feel she's a little rusty in actual combat, and even if she weren't, she may not do well against an alimon. We already agreed that the Dino Squad need some work in fighting the Darkarians."

"Yes, and that's why you were assigned to train them." Stone said, nodding his head. "The question I'd like to be answered is this: how much training do you think they will need before you feel they'll be able to hold their own against some Darkarians?"

Donovan narrowed his eyes as he glanced back at the Dino Squad. He ignored the glares he was getting from them. He didn't care that he had insulted them with his comments. He was all serious business and he didn't mess around when making judgments. He spoke the truth, even if that truth was hurtful or spiteful. "A lot of training. I suggest I start them off with some basics and work my way up from there. A few weeks of hard training may help them learn how to at least hold off a Darkarian, but I do not expect miracles..."

Caruso bellowed in anger, sick of hearing Donovan's harsh words. He slammed his tail into the ground, kicking up dirt and dust into the air. 'Who are you to talk to us like that?!'

'Yeah!' Rodger snorted, pawing at the ground with his head lowered slightly. 'You've never seen us fight before!'

'And besides, who are you to say how well we'd perform in training?' Max asked, baring his long sharp teeth.

Donovan looked up at the Dino Squad, unblinking. "My judgment was required, and I passed it. Do not get so angry just because I gave you a little bit of criticism. I was being nice."

Max's eyes widened in anger. 'Nice?!'

Caruso narrowed his eyes, showing off his sharp teeth. 'If that's your idea of nice, I hate to see you in a bad mood.'

Attempting to remain calm, though still shaken by what Donovan was saying, Fiona took a step forward. 'At least watch us in battle before you judge us. You can't tell how well we'd fight just by looking at us. If you honestly think that you can tell me how well I can fight simply by looking at my body, then you are sadly mistaken.' After she finished, she paused, staring at Donovan and waited for him to say something.

Donovan narrowed his eyes further. "I am not mistaken. I have made such judgments before using the same method I used on you all. And guess what? I've always been correct. What makes you think you are any different? If I say you are weak fighters, then that is what you are. Try to prove me wrong, and you will only prove me right."

Fiona opened her jaws slightly, letting out a low hiss. 'You are being unreasonable.'

Donovan shook his head. He folded his arms tightly, giving Fiona a stern, unemotional stare. "Lady, I am never unreasonable. Do not forget I am one of the best fighters of the Rock Rangers. I do know what I am talking about."

'No! You're wrong! You have no right to speak to us like that!' Terri said, snapping her jaws angrily.

Fiona nudged her sister. 'Terri, chill!'

Buzz, who was getting as angry as the others were, glared over at Donovan. 'No, she's right. I don't care who you are, Donovan. You cannot talk to us that way! We're better than you think we are!'

Donovan cocked an eyebrow. "Oh is that so? Do you weaklings really have what it takes?"

As the Dino Squad vented her anger against Donovan, Moynihan and Michelle simply watched, quiet. Moynihan didn't want to get in the middle of the fight. She did agree Donovan was being a little unreasonable, but he was Stone's friend and she felt she should give him a chance. Michelle, on the other hand, had been used to harsh judgments before and Donovan's words were actually less severe than what she heard from Dr. Veloci.

'Before you judge someone so harshly, see them in battle first! We can kick your tails if we really wanted to!' Max said, trying to sound confident.

"I do not have to watch you in battle. Knowing that you were bested by a few Darkarians in the past is enough for me to know you are too pathetic to actually fight as you are now." Donovan said, narrowing his eyes. "Nothing you say or do will make me change my mind at the moment. Say what you will about me. But if you wish to live, you will listen to me."

'That's it!' Rodger stomped the ground, lifting his tail slightly.

'We've had it!' Buzz said, letting out a screech.

Max stomped over towards Donovan, lowered his head, and roared in his face. Donovan looked completely unfazed. 'I'm sick of your so-called judgments! I don't care what you say! We're calling off this stupid training! We can find our own way of fighting the Darkarians! Am I right, team?'

'Absolutely. We don't need someone like you telling us what to do.' Rodger said.

'We're sorry to have wasted your precious time.' Terri said, receiving another nudge from Fiona, who was glaring at her.

Donovan glared at the Dino Squad, looking like he was disappointed in their behavior. "So you are out to prove me wrong?"

Caruso nodded his head. 'Exactly. And we won't let you stop us!'

Donovan stared at the Dino Squad for several minutes. In that time, no one did anything except stare at each other, some glaring. Stone looked at Donovan, somewhat worriedly. He didn't step in, though, waiting for Donovan to make his move. Not many back talked to Donovan like that and those who did were usually punished for it, particularly by Donovan. The alimon was not known to take lightly to those who doubted him in anyway. Stone started to wonder if it was a good idea using Donovan to begin with. Perhaps he should have called upon a less aggressive male to train the Dino Squad.

Donovan was still looking at the Dino Squad. As he did before, he looked at each of them, studying them, sizing them up. He looked at their bodies, stances, and facial expressions. He thought about what they had told him. Normally he would punish if he had received such talk from a member of his pack. But things were different with the Dino Squad. They lived a different style than the Rock Rangers. They lived by different rules. They lacked the initial aggression they'd need to face the Darkarians. And for them to stand up to a high-ranking alimon, well, that took a lot of courage.

He folded his arms again and stepped closer to the team. Instead of glaring, what appeared to be a small smile appeared on his face. "Congratulations. You've passed your test, if you can call it a test anyway."

Buzz tilted his head. 'Test? What test?!'

"You've shown determination to prove me wrong. Instead of falling apart and agreeing with me that you were weak, you stood up for yourselves. You did it in spite of me being able to rip you apart if I wanted to. Doing that took courage and determination, two qualities you will need to face the Darkarians." Donovan said, the smiling broadening slightly. "Training will begin tomorrow back at our hideout. There's more space to train there and some obstacle courses that will prove useful. I will see you then and I look forward to our first training session." With that, Donovan turned around and walked away. He opened up the door to the vehicle and climbed back inside, shutting the door behind him. He made himself comfortable and waited for Stone and Crescent to return to the vehicle, having done his duty.

The Dino Squad were in total shock at what happened. They had not expected Donovan to react like that. This whole time they were being tested to see how determined they were? Is that why Donovan was being so harsh to begin with? The squad wondered how much of what Donovan said was serious and how much of it was only said to see if they would fight back. While they were somewhat satisfied that the alimon was taking them seriously and not just blowing them off, they still felt angry that Donovan purposely made them mad just to test a quality of theirs.

Sensing the Dino Squad's frustration, Moynihan decided to move on to the next part of judgment. Perhaps this one will be less harsh. She looked over at Stone. "So is it now Crescent's turn for judging us?"

"Oh, thanks for reminding me." Stone said. He looked down at the woman standing next to him. He gently nudged her forward. "Go on, Crescent."

Crescent hesitated, looking at the Dino Squad with uncertainty. Eventually, she got herself to walk over to them. She slowed down as she got closer to them. The Dino Squad looked at each other and shrank back in their human forms, no longer seeing the use in being in dino mode for medicine training. When Crescent got close enough, she stopped, staring at the humans she will soon be training. She looked unsure, as if she didn't think her training would be good enough.

"So..do any of you have any books on plants?" Crescent said.

Moynihan nodded. "I do. It's in the lighthouse."

"Why do you need a book?" Buzz asked. "Can't you just use the plants out here?"

Crescent shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I need a book so I can point out certain beneficial plants native to this area. The lighthouse doesn't have a lot of variety of plants growing around it, so it won't be of much use to me."

"All right then, follow me." Moynihan said, gesturing for Crescent. "We'll discuss this in the lighthouse. I'll grab the book." With that, everyone, except for Stone who waited outside with Donovan, walked back into the lighthouse.

___

Dr. Veloci sat in his chair and looked around the large room. Usually, at this hour, he would have some scientists performing some minor experiments, provided he had any in mind. But at the moment, it felt very empty. He had ordered most of his men to remain on higher levels of Raptor Dyne. He felt they would just be in the way, and most of them were cowards anyway. They wouldn't be of much use holding off the alimons. They would most likely get killed, which would leave him with that many less employees and he'd have to go hiring again.

A few of his non-dinosaur workers were more tolerable and were unafraid of risking their lives against an assault. One of them was Blizzard. Despite his age, he was pretty energetic and he had never flinched at the site of the Dino Squad. Except for him being tricked by the Dino Squad into thinking he captured kids instead of dinosaurs, he had a good track record. Following Kista's advise, Blizzard was stationed near the front entrance rather than a rear entrance. He was to remain there until it was either over or if he had something important to tell Dr. Veloci. To help him, Veloci had paired Blizzard up with one of his morphing employees, Oscura.

He, Peter, and Kista would remain on the lower level to protect the rear entrance. He didn't know exactly when the alimons would show up. They might not even arrive today and he was just wasting his time. But he didn't want to take any chances. He had experienced first hand how nasty the alimons could be in battle. No wonder the Dino Squad were having such a hard time with them, even with their increased size and numbers.

Kista felt Veloci should have put up more of a defense at the front entrance, but Veloci felt the alimons would try for the rear entrance instead, thinking it would be less guarded. He had given Blizzard a tar and net gun just in case he needed to use it. Oscura's poisonous bite would aid her in the battle. The alimons couldn't be immune to her poison; they were still dinosaurs after all. But that didn't convince Kista, who insisted that Veloci was making a mistake by not evenly distributing strength to both guarded entrances.

Veloci looked at the watch on his hand to note the time. He had been sitting around for a few hours and so far nothing had happened. He wasn't going to let his guard down. He was prepared to transform any second. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kista and Peter standing a ways from him, talking about something. They were closer to the door than he was. He couldn't hear what they were talking about and he didn't really care about that. He was satisfied that they were close to the door. That way, if the alimons break through, they could stop them.

He looked up at the scanners mounted on the walls. He hadn't seen any signatures all day. Since the alimons could be in human form, he suspected that they would be in human form again when they came to raid Raptor Dyne. His scanners could not pick up human DNA. Despite knowing that the Dino Squad are human, he never bothered upgrading his scanners. There are too many humans on the planet and implementing a human scanner into the main scanners would result in many detections at once. Now if he found out how to get it to only detect humans with dino DNA, then he might consider it...

He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching him. He turned over and saw Kista approaching him. He sighed, knowing what was going to happen. He quickly turned away from her. "What do you want, Kista?"

"I still don't think it was wise of you to station only Blizzard and Oscura at that entrance. What if they are overwhelmed?" Kista asked, folding her arms.

Veloci just shrugged it off. "Then it's their fault for being weak. They should be able to take care of themselves. If they die, then it's their fault."

Kista narrowed her eyes. "After all they've done for Raptor Dyne..." Veloci growled softly. Kista just shook her head. "It's no wonder Michelle verved you."

Veloci glared up at Kista. "Don't mention her to me."

"She was one of your best employees, Veloci. You yourself said she was more trustworthy than Oscura. She got the job done just as you wanted her to. She even weakened the Dino Squad's defenses, allowing you to capture Caruso. You wouldn't have gotten the same result if you sent only Oscura." Kista said. She knew she was angering Veloci, but she didn't care. "When she left, you lost one of your best employees and missions haven't exactly gotten any easier."

"She didn't just leave. She betrayed me." Veloci said. "She could have stayed, but..."

"No she couldn't have! You tried to kill her!" Kista said, raising her voice slightly. "She left you because you tried to rip out her throat! Did you really think she'd stay after that?"

Veloci shook his head, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "Just shut up, Kista. Now's not the time to talk about this."

"I'm just saying..." Kista said as she started to walk way. "..you should show more respect towards your workers, especially those who have done besotted work time and again. You'd see less betrayals that way."

Veloci didn't say anything. He watched as Kista watched back to where Peter was. He sometimes didn't understand her as much as he thought. She was willing to help him with his goal and yet she was more tolerable of humans than he was. She wasn't as compassionate as Moynihan was, but she was still fairer with humans than he tended to be. He didn't think much of what Kista had said. To him, showing compassion was weakness. He knew he had to remain tough to keep Raptor Dyne up and running. He would rather be feared by his men, not loved by them.

A few seconds later, before he was able to relax some, he heard someone else approaching. He sighed. He thought it was either Kista again or Peter. He turned around and prepared to tell either of them to remain where they were until the alimons arrived, but when he swerved his chair around, instead of seeing Peter or Kista, he was looking at one of his men. He narrowed his eyes angrily. "I thought I told you to stay out of this part of Raptor Dyne! What are you doing here?"

The subordinate lowered his head in fear. "I'm sorry, sir, but..."

"But what?" Veloci snapped, displeased.

"Blizzard found something." The subordinate said. "He wants to show it to you."

"Why doesn't he just bring it down himself?" Veloci hissed.

"He can't. He said it's too big." The subordinate replied, head still lowered.

Veloci turned away from the subordinate. "Then tell him to wait later. Right now, we could be attacked at any time. Now is not the time to have some kind of..show and tell." He waited for the man to leave him in peace like the other subordinates usually do. But this one, to his disgust, stayed where he was. He knew he was still there because he could still hear his heavy breathing. He faced the man again and said, "Get out of here!"

"But sir, he said it was urgent." The subordinate said. He rubbed his head as if he tried to think of how to continue. "He said it might help with the alimons."

Veloci blinked a few times as he swerved his chair back. "Help with the alimons?" The man nodded. Veloci didn't look convinced. "How?"

The subordinate shrugged. "He didn't say. He wanted to show you as soon as possible."

Veloci thought about this for a moment. He didn't really want to leave to look at whatever Blizzard had found. But if it really could help, perhaps he should check it out. The alimons may not arrive anytime soon. They had been waiting for hours and nothing. And besides, he still had Kista and Peter stationed near the door. They could warn him if they saw any alimons enter Raptor Dyne. He wouldn't be gone that long anyway.

Veloci got up out of his chair. "All right then, take me to this..thing Blizzard had found."

"All right." The subordinate, along with Veloci, made their way towards the elevator. "He told me where it was, so I should be able to lead you there."

"Let's get this over with." Veloci said. He wanted to return to his laboratory as soon as possible.

___

Blizzard stood next to Oscura near the front entrance. They hadn't been seeing a lot of activity recently. No one had even entered Raptor Dyne outside of the usual workers. Stationed at the desk near the door was another receptionist, a man this time. He was pretty quiet and uninterested in what Blizzard and Oscura were doing. The old man glanced down at the teenager standing beside him. He wasn't happy about being paired up with her. She was too eager.

"Where are these stupid alimons?" Oscura said, clenching a fist tightly.

"Patience, little girl. Patience." Blizzard said, narrowing his eyes. "They have to arrive sometime."

"I hope they arrive soon. I'd like to give the alimons a little payback for what they did to me." Oscura said, growling.

The old man chuckled. "Oh, so you get knocked down once and you want to have revenge for that. You are something, you know, Oscura?"

"Shut up!" Oscura snapped at him.

Blizzard smirked at her. He recomposed himself and stopped smiling. He then heard a sound on his wrist. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at a flashing light under his costume. He turned to Oscura. "I have something I need to do quickly. I won't be gone long. Do you think you'll be able to handle this area by yourself?"

Oscura grinned. "Of course! I'm not a weakling. I can take care of myself!"

Blizzard nodded. "I know you can. Stay here, Oscura. I'll be right back."

Oscura smirked as the man walked away. She didn't really care where he was going or why. She was just glad that he was gone. She preferred doing this on her own. She wanted to do this her own way and the old man would have just slowed her down. He couldn't even transform, so she didn't understand why Veloci even bothered putting him here to begin with. He wouldn't be able to stop an alimon invasion at all. She turned her attention back towards the doors, waiting for any sign of life approaching them.

___

The subordinate led Veloci to a room on one of the higher levels of the building. This room was mostly abandoned and was rarely used. The room was not entirely empty. There were a few papers on the floor and a dusty desk near the middle of the room. Veloci and the subordinate walked inside. Veloci looked around, not seeing anything of interest. He shook his head and turned back to the subordinate, glaring at him.

"If you dragged me up here just to waste my time..." Veloci warned, baring his teeth.

The subordinate waved his arms in front of him in a defensive manner. "I'm sorry, sir! I'm pretty sure this is where he said he wanted to show you something! Maybe I got the room wrong..."

Veloci narrowed his eyes, a slight glow to them. "Get out of here..." The subordinate screamed and ran out of the room, his footsteps fading quickly. Veloci sighed. "I should have known this was just a waste..."

He headed towards the open door. As he stepped out, he saw a flash of grey, pressure on his chest, and he found himself tumbling backwards. He quickly regained his footing and looked at who had pushed him. He saw that the subordinate who had led him here to begin with now stood in the door way, all signs of fear gone. Before Veloci could react, the man shut the door and locked it. Veloci ran towards the door, grabbed the handle, and tried to turn it. It was stuck, much to his anger.

Veloci pounded on the door as loud as he could. "Open this door!" There was no answer. "I said open this door! If you don't, I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart!" He didn't hear anyone answer. He couldn't tell if the subordinate was still standing in front of the door or if he had left. He pounded the door again. "Open this stupid door! Now!"

After a few minutes of pounding the door, Veloci realized he wasn't going to get out, at least not this way. He growled in frustration as he lowered his fists. He could go dino and tear down the door, but he wanted to avoid that if possible. Not all of his Raptor Dyne employees knew about his velociraptor form and he would rather them not find out.

He pulled out a communicator he remembered to take with him. He attempted to turn it on to contact Oscura, who was the closest to his location. But when he attempted to use it, all he got was static. Angered and disappointed, he slammed the communicator on the desk, not caring if he broke it or not. He could always get a new one anyway. He paced around the room, trying to think of a way to get out without exposing his dinosaur form to unworthy members at Raptor Dyne.

Veloci didn't have to wait long to get out. He had only been in the room a couple more minutes when he heard the door open. He turned and saw Blizzard standing there, his eyes narrowed. Veloci walked over towards the door, expecting to get out. To his confusion, Blizzard didn't move for him like he usually would. Veloci narrowed his eyes at the man. "Get out of my way, Dr. Blizzard. I have to return to my laboratory."

But Dr. Blizzard just stood there. Slowly, he folded his arms. "Sorry, but I still haven't shown you..."

"Oh yes, I was informed by one of my subordinates that you wanted to show me something." Veloci said. "That is before he shoved me into this room."

A smile appeared on Dr. Blizzard's face. "Shove you? You mean like this?" Blizzard seized Veloci by the shoulders tightly and, as hard as he could, pushed him backwards. Veloci fell onto his back against the desk. He shook his head and stared up at Blizzard, clenching his teeth.

"You better have a good explanation for why you did that...for your sake..." Veloci said, his eyes glowing angrily. "Consider yourself lucky I'm not ripping out your throat this instant!"

But Blizzard didn't look fazed. "Your threats don't frighten me anymore, sir." There was noticeable sarcasm dripping from the last word as Blizzard spoke it.

Dr. Veloci picked himself off the ground, brushing off his red suit. "Then I should stop stating threats and actually carrying them out." He walked towards Blizzard. "We will discuss your punishment later."

Dr. Blizzard grabbed Veloci by his tie and pulled upwards slightly. "Oh we will be discussing something all right.. but it won't be my punishment."

Veloci struggled to free himself, but Blizzard was stronger than he had anticipated. "Let me go! Release me now or your punishment will increase in severity!"

Blizzard chuckled. "I'm in control now, Dr. Veloci." He grinned as he lifted Veloci off the ground with ease. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment. Years of acting have finally paid off." Blizzard's body glowed and, before Veloci had time to say anything, he transformed into an alimon, nearly solid white except for some grey. His eyes glowed red.

"Oh..my..." Veloci said softly, his eyes widening at the sight of the large male alimon now holding him up. Blizzard's head was raised up, letting out a loud hiss. He bent his head down, growls escaping his throat. After a few seconds, he opened his jaws wide, letting out a loud roar, and snapped his head forward.


	21. Mass Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

On reflex, Veloci's eyes shut as Blizzard's jaws snapped shut in his face. When he realized he felt no pain, he opened his eyes and noticed Blizzard's jaws were uncomfortably close to his face. The alimon held his head in that position for a second before pulling back and letting out a laughter. Using his tail, he grabbed the door and pulled it shut behind him, trapping Veloci in the same room as him. Blizzard then released him, watching him as he dropped onto the floor.

As Veloci attempted to get back up, Blizzard placed a foot on him and used his weight to hold him down easily. Blizzard lowered his head close to Veloci's and opened his jaw to say something. But he immediately shut it and frowned when he noticed Veloci's eyes were glowing. He shook his head slowly as the scientist before him transformed into a velociraptor. Blizzard looked disappointed, as if he was hoping Veloci would go down without a fight.

Veloci used his tail to strike Blizzard, causing him to release his grip. He quickly got onto his feet, turned around, and hissed loudly at Blizzard. He knew that he was taking a huge risk, but he didn't care now. He was too angry to think clearly. All this time, Dr. Blizzard was an alimon. He had only been acting all these years, pretending to be submissive to him, acting as if he was loyal to him. Memories of Michelle came into his head as he realized he had been betrayed a second time. Was there no one in Raptor Dyne he could completely trust?

He narrowed his eyes as he turned his head up. Being an alimon, Dr. Blizzard was much larger than him in dino mode. Even on all fours, he towered over him easily, eyes glowing. Veloci began pacing back and forth, looking for a weak spot. He couldn't circle around him; Blizzard was standing in front of the door, blocking any hope of exit. But that wasn't going to stop Veloci. He was confident he could take on this alimon. There was only one this time, not two like last time.

Flexing the muscles in his legs and feet, he lunged forward, bringing his hands up and claws bent forward. Blizzard just watched him approach, not bothering to get out of the way. He allowed Veloci to land on his front, clinging to his neck with his hand claws. Moving as quickly as he could, Veloci bit down on Blizzard's neck and dug his foot talons into the neck. Blood dripped on the ground.

Nonchalantly, Blizzard lowered himself to the ground partway. He pulled his head back as far as he could go and, with all his might, slammed forward. Veloci's eyes widened as the force nearly broke his back. In pain, he slowly released Blizzard, who lifted his head back up. Despite all the blood, the wounds were not very deep. He took a step forward, looking at Veloci laying on the ground on his back, eyes wide open from the shock of the blow.

Blizzard lowered his head and grabbed onto Veloci's chest, the angle causing him to sink his teeth into part of his lower neck as well. He slowly picked the velociraptor up off the ground, tightening his jaws so he could get a better grip. With a flick of the head, he tossed Veloci against the wall. Veloci screeched in pain as he fell back to the ground. He shook his head and slowly stood back up, baring his teeth threateningly.

Blizzard just smirked at this weak threat. He broke into a run towards Veloci and immediately struck him down with one of his front paws. As the velociraptor fell into the ground, Blizzard clamped his jaws around Veloci's neck and held him down. He bit down hard enough to push his teeth into the neck but light enough so Veloci could still breathe. He used his front paws and one back paw to hold him on the ground. He held him down until he felt Veloci's struggles ceasing. After a moment, he released his grip on his neck.

"I know you already had a rough time with Axel. I hear she did quite a number on you." Blizzard said softly. "But don't worry... I'm not as hostile as she is in battle. I'll show you mercy."

Veloci hissed. 'If this is your idea of mercy...'

"Not that yours is any different." Blizzard said darkly, eyes narrowing.

The velociraptor turned his head enough so he could look at the alimon with one yellow eye. 'Why are you doing this?'

"Why?" Blizzard asked innocently, turning his head. "Whatever do you mean?"

'Don't playact with me, Dr. Blizzard! Axel tried to kill me and now you are doing the same thing! I deserve to know why you want me dead so badly!' Veloci growled.

Blizzard chuckled. Swishing his tail from side to side, he said, "Well I suppose you are right. But I will only tell you this: disposing of you will help us further our plans."

'Plans...?' Veloci was confused. 'What plans..?'

"That isn't of your concern, Dr. Veloci." Blizzard said, grinning darkly. Growing a little tired of playing with the velociraptor, he lifted his head up slightly, a serious look appearing on his long, scaly face. "Tell you what, I'll allow you to live...if you relinquish control of Raptor Dyne to me, leave, and never come back to this place ever again. I don't care where you go, so long as it isn't back here. As soon as you step foot on this building's property, you'll be killed on sight."

Veloci snapped his jaws at the air angrily, his struggles resuming. 'I'll never give up everything I worked hard for to someone like you!' He kicked his leg out, making contact with Blizzard's hind leg. The alimon hissed as the sickle claw cut in deeply, warm blood flowing down his leg. Veloci, filled with anger, managed to summon enough strength to push Blizzard off of him. 'If you wish to get Raptor Dyne, you will have to fight me for it!'

Blizzard shook his head, glaring at Veloci. "I gave you the best offer I could, and you turned me down. I'm sorry, Veloci, but you give me no choice..."

'You'll regret betraying me, Blizzard!' Veloci ran towards the alimon, mouth wide open.

Blizzard turned to his side and attempted to strike Veloci with his tail. But Veloci jumped into the air and landed on Blizzard's back. The alimon roared in pain as Veloci started to bite into his back. The alimon reared onto his hind legs and fell backwards. Veloci managed to jump out of the way in time as Blizzard's back slammed into the ground. It didn't take long for Blizzard to get back onto his feet. As Veloci jumped at him again, he turned around and kicked out with a hind leg. It made contact with Veloci's underside, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Blizzard seized Veloci's leg in his jaws. Crying out in pain and shock, Veloci desperately kicked out with his free leg, managing to scratch Blizzard's face. He also struck out a few times with his hands, but constantly missed. His head was too far to land blow. Blizzard bit down even harder, ignoring the painful screeches that were emitted from the velociraptor's jaws. He pulled his head back and tore out a huge chunk of flesh. Muscles and tendons were exposed, blood dripping from them. One particularly large tendon was tilted outwards a little, severed. He moved back, releasing his hold on him.

Veloci struggled to get up. He put his hands on the floor and pushed himself up, steadying himself as much as he could with his good leg and tail. He tenderly put pressure on his injured leg and winced in pain. He tried to take a step forward, but found he couldn't move his leg very well anymore. He immediately slipped back on the ground, hissing in pain. There was no way he could get out now, even if the way was clear. Without use of a leg, he might as well stay on the ground.

He tilted his head upwards, exposing his teeth in a weak attempt to frighten Blizzard. 'I should have...known...about this. I should have known a long time ago... I should have seen the warning signs...'

Blizzard slowly approached him. "Yes you should have. But then again, I've always exercised caution when I have to pretend to be someone and something else for so long. So perhaps you shouldn't blame yourself for not realizing things sooner. After all..." He reached Veloci and lowered his head. "..you're just a stupid velociraptor..."

Veloci hissed loudly and attempted to bite Blizzard's face. Blizzard simply snapped his head back, smirking as Veloci's teeth snapped at only empty air. 'If you think I'm stupid, you are sadly mistaken.'

Chuckling, Blizzard said, "I'd love to continue this conversation with you. Really I would, but I have more important matters to attend to." He walked beside Veloci until he reached the second half of the velociraptor. "So I should wrap things up here." He looked down at Veloci's tail and, quickly, grabbed it with both his front paws, holding it down. "You won't be needing this anymore."

'No!' Veloci was horrified. He tried to struggle to get free, but his injured leg and Blizzard's pressure on his tail prevented him from getting anywhere. He felt Blizzard's teeth sink deep into his tail. 'Release me now! Don't you dare even try to..' But his mind went blank as a horrible pain filled his body, letting out a loud roar of agony. There was a loud cracking sound, some crunching, and a sloppy kind of sound.

He trembled slightly in pain as he looked up and saw Blizzard holding most of his tail in his jaws. The spinal column was exposed, a few individual vertebrate hanging out. Muscle and blood vessels were also exposed. Blood dripped from the tail and landed on the ground. At the stump that remained on his body, there was a shredded, gaping hole, muscle fibers and tendons hanging out. More blood spread across the ground.

Blizzard dropped Veloci's tail on the ground. He took a step towards Veloci, lowering his head close to his face. Seeing the velociraptor open his jaws for another bite attempt, he immediately seized them with one paw, sealing Veloci's mouth shut. "You just don't learn do you? Oh well. Soon none of that will matter."

___

Oscura tapped her foot impatiently. She looked up at the clock, realizing how much time had passed. She looked out the door again. She could not see anyone approaching. That's how it's been for what felt like hours to her. She was quickly growing bored of just standing around. She couldn't even go dino because of exposing herself to unworthy Raptor Dyne employees. She turned around to look at the new receptionist and snarled. She wished the receptionist would just go away.

"Where are those alimons? They were supposed to be here!" She folded her arms tightly and leaned against the wall. "What a rip!" Suddenly she heard her communicator go off. She turned it on and noted there was no picture, instead static. "Hello?" There was no response. "Hello?" She snarled when there was still no response and shut the thing off. "Stupid..can't get a good signal here! Oh well..might as well see who tried to contact me." She pushed a few buttons and when the information popped up, her eyes widened slightly. "Dr. Veloci...?"

Knowing Veloci would not be very happy if she kept him waiting, Oscura abandoned her post. She quickly headed towards the elevators. She didn't know what Veloci wanted with her, but it had to be important for him to contact her. She opened up the elevator door and swiped a card. Punching in the right combination, the elevator started to lower until she reached the laboratory.

As the elevator doors opened, she looked towards Veloci's chair and began to walk towards it. As she approached, she said, "Hey, sir, I got your message. Well sort of..it was garbled up. Anyway what do you want me to do?" But strangely, there was no response. "Uh..Dr. Veloci?"

"He's not here now." Kista said, approaching Oscura. "He went upstairs with a subordinate."

"Why?" Oscura asked.

"Something about Dr. Blizzard wanting to show him something." Kista responded.

Peter approached the two female employees. "That was quite a while ago. He hasn't been back yet." He narrowed his eyes. "That isn't like Dr. Veloci. He would have been back by now."

"But there were no alimons. I watched the whole time!" Oscura said. "I saw no alimons!"

"Could be just a delay. But one of us should probably check it out." Kista suggested, turning her attention to Peter. "Or better yet, we all should check."

Peter shook his head. "No we cannot leave this area vulnerable. Oscura, you go check on Veloci. Report to us when you find anything. Kista, you stay with me. I'll need some back up."

___

The Dino Squad, with Crescent standing by them, were standing at a table. In front of them, a book about plants was open. Rodger, who was standing near the book, was pointing to a picture of a flower. "So you're saying this flower is poisonous..." He then pointed to another flower. "And this one is not?"

Crescent leaned over to see what flowers the boy was pointing at. She nodded her head slowly. "Yes. Make sure you note what the differences are so you do not confuse them."

Rodger nodded his head. "Will do."

The Dino Squad have been looking at the book for quite a while. Crescent had pointed out many different flowers, trees, bushes, berries, among other things. She explained which ones were poisonous, which ones could be used as medicine, and which ones would have little to no effect. In order to help them, Crescent had made notes inside the book, using red for poison, yellow for little effect, and green for medical purposes.

Moynihan took a few steps forward. "So are you going to pass judgment like Donovan had?"

Crescent blinked and shook her head. "No. I don't pass judgment. I just wanted to sees how familiar you all were with the local plant life." She straightened herself up. "I shall go deeper the next time we meet. There's more things I wish to tell you, but I cannot now."

"Why not?" Buzz asked.

"Because I need more material." Crescent replied. "Simply telling you about the benefits and dangers of certain plants isn't enough. You must learn how to treat wounds too, like how to effectively stop the bleeding, how to clean out wounds, among those things."

"We already know how to do that, though." Max pointed out, turning towards Crescent. "We've done it before."

"Yes I understand that. But there is more than one way to do things." Crescent said. "If you are to properly use plants, you must know how to do things a different way. Plants can be just as dangerous as pills if you use too much of them or apply them the wrong way."

Rodger nodded his head. "That makes sense. Sometimes I have to consider new ideas if my first ideas don't work out."

Rump was sniffing the ground near Crescent. He put his nose against a pant leg and gave another sniff. Crescent took notice of him. She bent down and picked him up in her arms. She started to stroke his fur as the dog wagged his tail. "Cute dog."

"Yeah sure." Caruso said, eyes narrowed slightly. "He can still be annoying."

Michelle turned towards Caruso. "I fail to see how he's annoying."

"He just gets on my nerves." Caruso replied.

"Have you ever thought that maybe the problem is you?" Michelle said, grinning slyly. Caruso shot her a glare.

Still petting Rump, Crescent said, "In order to fight against the Darkarians, you'll need everyone, including this dog." She gestured towards the dog she was holding. "He might be annoying to some of you, but his bite force is impressive for something his size. If he can cause as much destruction as I've heard he can, imagine what he can do to the Darkarians."

Caruso blinked and started to think about this. "You know, I hadn't thought of it that way."

Rodger chuckled, looking over at Rump. "Well what do ya know? We finally found a use for your destructiveness, Rump." Although Rump didn't understand, he still barked in response.

Just then they heard the sound of the door swinging open. The group turned around and saw Stone and Donovan, in human forms, rushing into the lighthouse. They moved towards Crescent, the expressions on their faces telling everyone it was urgent matters. The Dino Squad made room for the two, moving out of the way as they passed by. Some tried to say something, but Stone and Donovan brushed passed them too quickly for them to get a word in edgewise. Once they got to Crescent, Donovan grabbed onto Crescent and started to drag her towards the door.

"What's wrong, Donovan?" Crescent asked, looking confused.

"We have received dire news from one of our scouts." Donovan explained, adjusting his dark sunglasses. "We must act fast."

Stone paused and looked over at the Dino Squad and Ms. Moynihan. Noting their puzzled expressions, he said, "Perhaps you should come along to."

Michelle blinked. "In the same car?"

"No! In your SUV or motorbikes. Whichever you prefer." Stone explained. "Choose quickly. We don't have much time!"

Donovan stopped in the door way. He still held onto Crescent. He turned back to the group of humans, his eyes narrowing. He shook his head slowly. He turned back to Stone. "I don't think they should come. It's too early to throw them against a horde of Darkarians."

"Darkarians? What about Darkarians?" Max asked, moving forward.

But his question was ignored as Stone turned back to his old friend. "Well they will have to face them again sooner or later. I know it may seem unfair to expect them to fight now, but.." He glanced at the Dino Squad, then at Donovan. "Look we need all the help we can get."

Donovan frowned deeper. "I still don't like it. They still need some training and..."

"I know, that, my friend. I know. But we are delaying time." Stone looked back at the Dino Squad and waved to them urgently. "Come along! We don't have much time to get there!"

The Dino Squad members looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know or understand what the two alimons were talking about. From their tone of voices, it sounded really urgent. But what could it be? All they could tell for certain outside of urgency was that it involved the Darkarians. Did the Darkarians discover something that the Rock Rangers didn't want them to have? Did they go on some kind of killing spree, or at least threatened to? Just what had happened?

Max, annoyed at being ignored a few minutes ago, moved closer to Stone. "What is going on? What happened?"

Stone was about to answer, but Donovan answered for him. "Raptor Dyne is under attack! We must hurry there to stop the invasion!"

"If we don't hurry...you don't want to know what could happen." Stone said. He started to walk towards the door. "So come on!"

Ms. Moynihan frowned as she started to walk in front of her students. She walked up to Stone and placed a hand on him. He paused and turned towards her. "In that case, let us take my bio-fuel plane. We will get there faster that way."

___

The sudden onslaught of alimons took everyone in the building by surprise. The building that was once generally quite in most places except for talking, footsteps, among a few other things, was now filled with screams and roars. Massive dinosaurs rampaged through the hallways, knocking down employees, slaughtering anyone that was in sight. Throats were ripped out, guts and intestines spilling the floor, and the smell of death hung strongly in the air.

Some employees managed to find some guns. They pointed at the alimons and shot them. Some bullets only grazed the alimons or hit them in non-vital areas. This caused them to become even angrier and attack the ones who shot them, killing them through various means like crushing the skull or decapitation. Other employees managed to kill a few alimons, watching the massive animals drop on the floor as bullets tore through their throats, chests, and heads. But this also led to deadly consequences as fellow alimons got angry and avenged their fallen comrades.

One man, in desperation to defend himself, pulled out the only weapon he had, which was a pen. As an alimon pushed him into the ground and was about to bite him, he jabbed the pen into the alimon's eye. The pen went right through the eye, blood pouring from it. The alimon screeched in pain and allowed the man to get up and run away. But his freedom didn't last long. The now half-blind alimon chased him down and killed him with one well placed blow to the back.

In the chaos, Oscura was struggling to reach a certain door. She was in full dino mode. She ignored the screams she was getting and tried to dodge any alimons that came near her. She did bite a few times, but that only slowed her down. Right now, she was on the trail of Veloci. She needed to get to him as fast as she could. As she made a turn, she came face to face with another alimon. Narrowing her eyes, she leaped over it and continued running.

'I know I wanted to see some action, but not this way.' Oscura told herself. There was just too many alimons. Normally she loved to fight, but there was just so many targets. She was feeling overwhelmed by it all. She didn't know how to handle this situation by herself.

Oscura eventually got to where the scent was coming from. Thankfully it was in an area that didn't have as many alimons roaming around. The ones that were around were busy with other targets to deal with her. She sniffed at the door, noting the smell of blood that was coming from the other side. She narrowed her eyes and started to push against the door. When it wasn't budging, she moved back a few steps, ran forward, and slammed her body against the door. She repeated this a few times before the door flew open. She nearly gasped at what she saw.

The room was a total mess. Things were knocked all over the place, such as papers, books, among other things. There were a few dents in the walls and some scratches on the floor. All around her she could see blood splatters covering so much of the floor and some on the walls. The air was mixed with Veloci's scent and the scent of an alimon. Oscura took a few steps inside. She was seeing a lot of carnage, but she could not see Dr. Veloci anywhere.

'...Dr. Veloci?' She said softly to herself, her tail lowering in despair. Whatever had happened to Veloci, she had arrived too late to stop it.

She shifted back into her human form. Hoping that the service had improved, she turned it on and attempted to contact Peter. Thankfully, service seemed to have improved enough that she was able to see Peter's face on the communicator. "Peter! I have urgent news!"

On the other line, Peter nodded his head. He looked over his shoulder as if he was looking at something. He looked back at Oscura. "Hello, Oscura. What do you need to report?"

"The alimons have invaded Raptor Dyne! And I think they took Veloci!" Oscura said, her voice more urgent than usual.

Peter's eyes went wide. "The alimons are here...? Kista and I haven't seen them yet." He then paused, realizing something else. "What...did you say Veloci was captured by them?"

Oscura nodded her head. "I followed his scent and the trail ends in this room I'm in. There's a lot of blood in here along with the smell of an alimon, but I don't see him anywhere. He's vanished! And Raptor Dyne is filled with alimons! There's so many of them I lost count and they're killing everyone they get their claws on!"

Peter looked just as shocked as Oscura about this news. It wasn't that long ago that Veloci had nearly been killed by alimons. Now he had been attacked again and this time, they had no idea where he was. Was Veloci killed or merely captured? And now were they going to deal with all these alimons? It seems Kista had gotten one thing right. The alimons must have predicted their reactions and changed plan accordingly. "Oscura, try to fight against the alimons the best you can. Kista and I will be up shortly and try to help in whatever way we can!"

"Affirmative." Oscura turned off her communicator just as an alimon entered the room, hissing at her. Oscura narrowed her eyes as the alimon approached her. "You wanna tangle with me?" Her talons grew from her hands. "Then bring it on!" She transformed into her troodon self and raced towards the alimon, her jaws opened wide.


	22. Vicious Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Peter screamed as he felt himself suddenly thrust into the ground. Something big and heavy and jumped him from behind. He struggled to get up, but sharp claws dug into his back, making him wince in pain. He could feel hot breath against the back of his neck. He turned his head to the side and looked up. He could see large green glowing eyes looking down at him and the body of a black and green female alimon. She opened her jaws and moved closer to bite onto his head.

Kista, transformed into her tyrannosaurus-tarbosaurus hybrid form, charged towards where the alimon had Peter pinned down. She lowered her head and slammed her nose against the underside of the alimon. The creature screeched in pain as Kista tossed her across the floor. The creature crashed into the ground and rolled onto her back, stunned by the attack.

Kista looked down at Peter, her eyes widened slightly. 'Are you all right?'

Peter looked up at her, glaring. "What do you think, genius?" He struggled to his feet, rubbing his head. He hadn't expected a creature that size to move so fast, let alone attack him before he could react. "Where did she come from anyway? She wasn't here a moment ago..." He paused, looking over behind Kista. He noticed something and shouted, "Look out!"

Turning her head, Kista only had enough time to make out claws and teeth as the alimon lunged for her, biting down onto her snout and digging her claws in. Kista howled in pain and struggled to get the animal off of her. The alimon bit down harder, drawing blood. Kista's eyes widened as she felt her jaws give a slight crack. She shook her head hard and finally managed to dislodge the alimon. She licked her jaws tenderly, tasting her own blood.

'That little thing is vicious.' Kista commented. 'Not even the Dino Squad attacked like that.'

"That's because this Dino Squad you speak of are weak." The female alimon said, her voice dark and growly. Not wasting any time, she ran towards Kista again. She jumped into the air, opening her jaws wide. "Just like how you are weak!" She was about to land another blow on Kista when something grey got in her way. She slammed against something solid. "What the...?"

The alimon had crashed into a large tail which she quickly realized belonged to Peter, who was now fully transformed into an apatosaurus. Peter glared down at the alimon, his head raised up high on his long neck. He wrapped his tail around the alimon's body and held on tight. The alimon screeched in pain and tried to squeeze through, but Peter was not letting go. His grip was like a vice. He proceeded to slam the alimon into the ground a few times, each time causing her to shriek painfully.

'We are nothing like the Dino Squad! You and your kind might have been able to handle them!' He slammed the alimon one more time before lifting her up and holding her eye level with him. 'But now you are dealing with the big boys now!'

Blood trickling from her mouth, the alimon still had the nerve to laugh. "You're just another fool. You'll never understand the power that my people possess. You're better off just giving up now because, trust me, you'll live to regret not caving in to us."

Peter's eyes widened in rage. 'I'll never give into the likes of you!'

The alimon continued to smile. "Are you sure about that?"

'Yes I'm sure!' Peter declared, squeezing the alimon tighter. He wanted to crush her, spill her guts. But something was holding him back. He couldn't figure out what it was. Why couldn't he end the life of this intruder, especially after what her species did to Veloci?

"Well..don't say I didn't warn you.."

That was all the alimon had time to say before the air was filled with an ear piercing scream from Peter. A group of three alimons had attacked from behind. There were two males, both red in color, and a light purple female. They jumped onto Peter's back and started to tear out his flesh. Blood poured rapidly on the ground. Peter bellowed in pain and released the black alimon. Once free, the black female jumped up, joining her comrades. She dug her claws deep into Peter's neck.

Kista would have tried to help, but she was busy with her own problems. A pair of alimons, a teal female and a pink male, attacked her, one on each side. They jumped on her, using their bodies to weigh her down. Kista roared in frustration. She tried to turn her head to bite, but her head couldn't reach. She tried running against the walls, but was unable to gain enough speed due to the alimons, heavier than they look, weighing her down.

The male bit into her leg, severing a major tendon. This caused Kista to lose movement in that leg. She quickly fell into the ground, her chin hitting the ground with full force. She opened her eyes just as she felt the female's jaws bite against her throat. She widened her eyes as she felt the horrible pain of sharp teeth sinking into her neck. She thrust her head up and managed to snag the teal female's foot. She bit down hard and threw her away.

She tried to stand back up, but her injured leg kept sliding to the side. She hissed in frustration. 'Of all the times for something so paltry to happen to me!' She attempted to put weight on the leg again, but not only did it slip, but she winced at the terrible pain she felt every time she tried to get up. With her tendon severed, there was no way she could stand back up again. She looked over at Peter. 'This isn't carillon.'

'You're telling me...' Peter said, not bothering to comment on Kista's annoyingly inaccurate vocabulary. He had tried getting the alimons off of him, but no matter how many times he knocked them down, they would get back up again. He didn't even have time to crush them with his feet. If only he could move faster, he might be able to do it. But the alimons were too fast for him. There was no way something his size could move faster than something like an alimon.

"Give it up." One of the males spoke up, grinning, his bloodied teeth exposed. "There's no way you will be able to beat us in a fight. You're too slow and stupid!"

A second male joined in. "Yeah! You're barely fit to fight one of our children! It's impossible to defeat us!"

'And what exactly do you want? We did nothing to you!' Peter shouted.

'Well we did capture one of them..' Kista pointed out.

'That doesn't count! That was a trick!' Peter said, narrowing his yellow eyes at her. He looked back at the alimons. 'And as for you...! Dr. Veloci has worked hard for countless years to get Raptor Dyne where it is now! If you think for a moment he will allow this to happen, you're wrong! You might have him captured now, but just you wait! He'll get free and he will tear you apart!'

"No he won't." A female alimon said, grinning evilly. "We won't need to worry about him anymore."

Peter blinked. 'What are you talking about?'

The same female replied, "Oh you don't know? Well how could you know? You didn't get the most recent information from our leader, Blizzard."

Peter's eyes widened. He knew Blizzard. He was an employee of Raptor Dyne. He had worked with him a few times. Although old, he still got the job done and still earned the respect of other Raptor Dyne employees. He never would have imagined he would turn against the company like this. 'Blizzard is an..alimon?'

"That's right." The female said. "Fooled you nitwits for years."

"And you know what else he managed to do?" A male said. Without waiting for a response, he continued, "He managed to do the one thing the Dino Squad was too chicken to do themselves, the one thing that would have permanently ended Veloci's reign of terror, if you can even call it that."

Even though the alimons hadn't revealed what it was, Peter had a good idea. He shook his head in denial. 'No...' He didn't want to believe it could be true. No one could kill Veloci, not even the Dino Squad themselves. Throughout history, no one had managed to pull it off. It seemed unfathomable that Veloci was dead.

"Oh yes." A male said, digging his claws in deep into Peter and causing him to yelp. "We received the word not long after we invaded this part of Raptor Dyne. Blizzard had killed your precious Dr. Veloci. He said he was easy to take down. But that is to be expected. The guy had rarely any experience fighting alimons."

The black female nodded in agreement. "If he had just listened to Blizzard and taken off, he would have survived. But now his only use is to be someone's dinner." She licked her jaws. "And I admit..I am getting a little hungry..."

'You....monsters!' Peter angrily shout, roaring as fiercely as he could. He was going to make these alimons pay for what they had done.

"Monsters? Us?" A male said, laughing like it was some kind of joke. "You don't need us to remind you of the terrible things Veloci has done. Why, mankind should be thanking us for getting rid of such a nuisance!"

Peter wasn't going to take it anymore. He thrust his neck to one side as sharply as he could. An alimon that was clinging to his neck screeched as it lost its footing and slammed into the ground. Peter reared onto his hind legs above the alimon and stomped down. Before it could run away, the apatosaurus's massive weight slammed down, crushing the alimon under his feet. Blood sprayed everywhere and his feet were sticky with remains of crushed bones and organs.

The alimons who were still on his back looked in shock and amazement at what Peter had managed to do. They hadn't expected something as big as an apatosaurus to be able to move fast enough to kill an alimon. Under different circumstances, they would have been interested in speaking with Peter about a potential job. But since he had killed one of their own, their minds immediately switched from awe to vengeance. They weren't going to let Peter leave Raptor Dyne alive. He was going to suffer the same fate as his boss.

The alimons began biting deep into Peter's hide, ripping out chunks of flesh. Despite the feeling of pain and blood dripping down his back, Peter wasn't giving up. He twisted his neck around as far as he could. He opened his jaws and snagged onto a female alimon tail. He lifted the alimon into the air and flung hard, releasing her. The alimon crashed into the wall. Before the alimon could get up, Peter charged towards her. He pressed his foot on her head and applied pressure. In an instant, her skull cracked open and her head flattened like a pancake. Her brains spilled out, some sticking to Peter's foot. Skull fragments and blood littered the ground.

In a final attempt to relieve himself of his attackers, Peter flopped on the ground. His huge body shook the ground like an earthquake. The alimons, however, reacted quickly and leaped off of him before they were crushed. With Peter now on the ground, they lunged for him. They went for the legs, viciously attacking them to make sure he wouldn't get back up again. Talons and sharp teeth tore against the apatosaurus's legs. Peter bellowed in agony. He pulled his leg back and slammed it against a male alimon. The force caused a few of the alimon's ribs to crack, but he wasn't down out of the fight.

The male ran away from Peter before turning back. He ran towards Peter's head. He opened his jaws and slammed them down on his head, biting down hard. Peter tried to scream, but the alimon's jaws sealed his own shut. In an attempt to defend himself, Peter raised his head as far as it could go and slammed down. The force of his neck slamming against the male alimon was enough to make him let go. The male alimon staggered back, blood dripping from his mouth.

Kista snarled angrily as she tried to get back up. She slipped back down again and roared in pain. The alimons hadn't been paying attention to her. With a nonworking leg, they didn't see her as a threat at the moment. She wanted to get up and help Peter. But she was unable to do so, unable to move. All she could do was watch helplessly from the sidelines as Peter was getting ripped apart by the alimons.

'Darnit...I have to do something...' Kista muttered to herself. She lifted her head and craned it to see if there were any alimons coming towards her to finish her off. Satisfied there weren't any, she transformed back into her human self. It didn't heal her up any, but it would help her contact someone. She reached for her communicator and pressed a button. When she saw that Oscura answered, she quickly said, "Come down here, Oscura! Peter and I need help! I..."

But that was all she had time to say before a female alimon snagged the communicator away. Before Kista could try to get it back, the alimon crushed it in her jaws, smirking evilly. The female alimon proceeded to slam her head and neck against Kista, knocking her painfully across the floor. She walked up to her and held her firmly on the ground with one paw. She took her other paw and placed it on Kista's head, the talons digging slightly into her face.

Lowering her head down, the female alimon sneered, "No one is going to save you."

___

After the seemingly long plane ride, the Dino Squad along with the alimons had arrived at their destination: Raptor Dyne. As they approached the building, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was no blood staining the ground surrounding the building. There were no signs of an obvious break in. There were no shattered doors or glass. There wasn't a sound to be heard. It seemed almost peaceful and tranquil. But the Rock Rangers knew better.

Stone and Donovan approached the building with great caution. They lowered their heads slightly, eyes glowing. They were prepared to shift at any moment. They opened the door cautiously and peered inside. After looking around a bit, they motioned for the others to come follow them. Slowly, the others walked in behind the two, keeping close to one another.

As they made their way down the corridor, they turned their heads every which way to keep an eye out for alimons. The air was dead silent. They couldn't even hear the sound of footsteps. The lights were all on and the rooms were well lit. They couldn't see a speck of blood anywhere. Nothing seemed destroyed or out of place. They continued moving along, looking for any obvious signs of Darkarian activity. Donovan sniffed the air and concurred to Stone that Darkarians were, in fact, in the building. They just couldn't see them yet.

When they made a turn, the grim reality of what was going on quickly came to light. Everyone except the Rock Rangers were frozen in horror at what laid before them. There wasn't much physical damage. Sure there were many bullet marks in the walls, a few shattered windows, and some deep scratches, but it wasn't anywhere near what they thought it would look like. But what frightened them wasn't the physical damage. It was the bodies. They were everywhere.

Strewn about all over the floor were corpses of Raptor Dyne personnel, beginning to show signs of rotting and decomposition. Organs like intestines, hearts, and stomachs were laid out on the ground. Some of the organs were intact; others were ripped apart beyond recognition. The bodies were horridly mutilated. Many heads and limbs were ripped off. Other bodies were torn in half. Still others were ripped up so much they couldn't be recognized.

In various places they could see disembodied heads. Some were crushed. Some were laying around in random places. Still others were propped up almost like a display. The eyes were often wide open and greyed out, mouths open as well. Some of the disembodied limbs showed signs of being chewed and gnawed upon before being carelessly discarded. And all around the mess, the horrible smell of death hung heavily in the air. The smell caused the Dino Squad to panic and become more fearful. They recognized the smell of death because Veloci had used a replica of it to trick them into thinking Caruso was dead.

Stone stared at the sight and shook his head. This was typical Darkarian behavior. They were just so brutal. Sometimes Stone is surprised they were even the same species. He turned to Donovan. "What do you make of it?"

"Judging from all the bullets and all the dead humans," Donovan said as he analyzed the scene mentally. "...I'd say the Darkarians are likely using cleararmor."

Stone's eyes widened. "No...that's going to make things harder for us..."

"Excuse me, but what is cleararmor?" Terri asked. She looked confused. To her, cleararmor sounded like something a person with an over imaginative mind would come up with. Armor just couldn't be invisible. It was impossible. "That sounds like a sci-fi term."

Donovan turned towards her. "Well I can assure you it's not." He lowered his glasses slightly. "Cleararmor is very real and very dangerous."

"Donovan is right." Stone said. "I should have known the Darkarians would have decided on using cleararmor." He looked at the damage around him again. He narrowed his eyes as he smelled the air. "Though judging from what I'm smelling, not all the Darkarians used cleararmor." He turned back to Terri and the Dino Squad. "Anyway, back to the question. Cleararmor is a Darkarian invention. It's an advanced light armor suit that is, as the name suggests, clear. It's very hard to see. Not the best armor, but the Darkarians like to use it to scare humans. Seeing bullets fly off for no particular reason is enough to frighten many humans, making them easier to kill."

Max frowned. "Why would they not all wear this cleararmor?"

"Confusion." Stone replied. "You see, by having random members of the pack wear cleararmor, with no distinct pattern, they can successfully psyche out humans. The humans would not know which alimons had cleararmor and which don't. It would be difficult to build a strategy around this. Cleararmor isn't effective against alimon or other dinosaur fighters, however, because we can see the cleararmor just fine."

This confused the Dino Squad. How was it possible for dinosaurs, like these alimons, to see cleararmor if their human forms cannot? It didn't make much sense to them. They tried wrapping their heads around it, tried to find some hidden meaning to it. But they could only draw a blank. The teenagers looked at each other, hoping someone amongst them had answers. But they all looked equally confused as each other. But there was one person who wasn't confused and that was Ms. Moynihan.

"Is it because of the color vision?" Moynihan inquired, raising an eyebrow. Stone nodded to her. Moynihan smiled softly. "That's what I thought." She looked towards the confused Dino Squad. They looked at her expectantly. "You see, kids. Dinosaurs have better color vision than humans. That's because we have more receptors in our eyes. This allows us to see far more colors, more vibrant as well, than humans."

Rodger nodded his head. Being the genius he was, it didn't take him long to understand what she was saying. "So what you're saying is that the cleararmor might be giving off a color that we cannot see, but dinosaurs can."

"That would explain why Veloci's men wouldn't have been able to figure out which alimons had cleararmor and which don't." Terri said, tapping the side of her face thoughtfully. "Without the right receptors in the eyes, all their brains could register was a clear object that is very hard to see unless they were close up."

"Exactly." Stone said, nodding his head.

"Enough talk. We must keep moving!" Donovan said, narrowing his eyes.

The group continued their trek through Raptor Dyne. The teenagers were careful not to step or slip on any bodies or body part that was laying around. A few almost threw up at the horrible smell and had to plug their noses. And as they got further into Raptor Dyne, the smell was only getting worse. Many questions ran through their minds. They couldn't understand why the Darkarians would be this violent. Even though they hated Raptor Dyne, the Dino Squad could never bring themselves to commit the level of carnage the Darkarians had done.

They continued down the long hallway. They ignored the rooms; the doors were wipe open and they could clearly see intestines, spleens, brains, and blood, among other things, splattered all over. There was nothing of interest in those rooms. They made another turn, which ended in a large room. They were met with a very similar grisly scene as they did earlier, only this time the numbers were far greater. There was so much blood on the walls that it almost looked like it was how the wall was painted. The bodies left most in tact were propped up like some eerie displays.

But surprisingly, there was a body left in tact. At first, they thought it was a fluke thing. Perhaps the Darkarians forgot to rip it apart like the sick creatures they were. But then they saw the body move, or at least try to move. The man raised an arm and tried to pull himself up, but he slipped back down. He moaned in agony. He was still wearing his Raptor Dyne uniform, but it was ripped in many places, revealing he wore nothing underneath the suit. There were deep cuts on his chest and limbs and blood dripped from his mouth. His red visor was shattered, revealing his cut up face.

The Dino Squad hesitated at first. Then they quickly ran over to the man's side. Stone, Donovan, and Crescent kept their distance. They watched as Max and Rodger knelt down beside the man. Gently, they pushed him onto his back so he could breathe better. The man looked up at them and narrowed his eyes. It was clear he recognized who they were, but he made no harsh comment or attempt to shoe them away.

"It's...It's you..." The man asked. "I'm surprised y-you're here."

Max nodded his head slowly. "Yeah I can see where you'd be confused."

Rodger leaned in closer. "What happened here? Did anyone survive? Where are the attackers?"

The man coughed a few times. Blood splattered on the floor around him. His eyes were starting to glaze over. He closed his eyes for a moment and reopened them. He looked up at the ceiling above him like he was expecting something to drop down any moment. "They came in too fast.. We don't know where they came from. It-It was like they appeared out of thin a-a-air. They slaughtered many of us." He coughed again. "A-A few of u-us managed to escape... Most of us were...u-unlucky.." He winced, the pain increasing. "I almost g-got out..but I was attacked... Only reason I survived..was because the beast got interested in ch-chasing the red troodon instead..."

"Red troodon?" Michelle whispered. She'd recognize that red troodon anywhere. It must have been Oscura.

"Y-Yes... Sh-She led the thing away.." The man was getting weaker. His eyelids were getting heavy. He couldn't keep them open for long. Slowly, he closed them, but he continued talking. "I tried to call for help but..all the phones were out..."

"What of Dr. Veloci?" Donovan said, urgency in his voice. "What about him?"

"I...I don't know..." The man said. Before Donovan could say anything, the man's head flopped to the side. His chest stopped rising and falling. He become limp and still, completely unmoving even as the minutes passed by. Already the smell of death started to emit from his body.

Donovan growled. "Come on, we must find Dr. Veloci. Let us hope we aren't too late!"

Suddenly a deep female voice stopped everyone in their tracks. "You don't think that'll be easy..now do you?"

Donovan turned to the voice. "Axel!"


	23. Losing Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Oscura ran as fast as she could down the hallway. She didn't like how Kista had suddenly cut off on her. That wasn't like her. Someone else must have stopped the communication. It must have been one of the alimons. She couldn't imagine how much trouble Kista and Peter were having with the beasts. Everywhere she looked, she could constantly smell death and see blood and guts splattered on the floors. She guessed that almost everyone in Raptor Dyne had been killed.

She couldn't understand how all this happened so quickly. Raptor Dyne was well guarded. They never had an invasion like this before. The worst that had happened before this was the Dino Squad infiltrated Raptor Dyne to get Moynihan back. And even they didn't cause as much damage as the alimons were. But in a blink of an eye, the building was effectively invaded. No warning, no nothing, just a sudden attack. The building was filled with screams and roars, but now it was falling silent, something that Oscura did not consider good news.

She still hadn't found Dr. Veloci or learned of what had happened to him. All she knew was that he had suddenly disappeared and she believed the alimons were responsible. She hoped that he was all right. Though she knew he was a tough fighter and could handle himself in any situation, deep down inside, she was concerned that maybe the alimons were too much. After all, the last time they had faced alimons, he was nearly mauled to death. If the alimons had harmed him again, she was going to make sure they paid for it with their lives.

She made it to the elevator. She ran inside it. On the panel, she could see a card slot and floor numbers. Only some of them were glowing, indicating they could be pressed. She took out a special card and swiped it and punched in a code. The rest of the floor numbers glowed. She pressed the floor where she knew Peter and Kista were waiting for her. The elevator began moving down. She kind of missed the old way, in which the laboratory could only be accessed through a hallway off limits to most employees. But this way was more convenient for Veloci and required less space.

The elevator doors opened up and she stepped out. Almost immediately, she was met with a gruesome sight. Blood stained the floors in many places. She could see a few alimons in the room. None of them were looking at her. They were looking at their victims. Oscura looked over and could see Peter and Kista, both in human form, on the ground. Their clothes were torn, their bodies covered in deep cuts, and they were covered in blood. Kista's leg looked broken, bent at an odd angle. Peter tried to get up, but he fell back down. The alimons, licking their lips, moved in closer to them.

Oscura watched this, stunned. As she watched the alimons move in for the kill, a weird feeling began to develop inside of her. She looked over at Kista, looking at her injuries. She usually didn't care about the woman. All she had done to he was annoy her. She often wanted to be away from her. But now that she sees her injured now, a new feeling came over her. She recalled how Kista had taken her in after the incident with the Dino Squad, where they had almost defeated them. She took note on how Kista, despite her weird behavior, did genuinely care about her and did whatever she felt would help her. At first, Oscura didn't know what this new feeling was. But she soon realized what it was. It was protectiveness.

"No..." Oscura said, shaking her head. She pushed a black strand from her face. The alimons still didn't seem to notice she was there. Their gaze was on Kista and Peter. One of them got close, opened their jaws, and prepared to bite.

Oscura couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring the fact that she was outnumbered and outclassed, she dashed forward. Her body glowed and she shape shifted into a troodon. She waited until she was close enough before she leaped into the air, bringing her hand claws and foot claws forward. She landed on top of the female alimon that was about to kill Kista. She dug her claws into the alimon's skin, drawing blood. The alimon roared in pain and started bucking to get her off. But Oscura was not yet finished. She opened her jaws wide and bit down on the back of the alimon's neck, the same thing that she had done to the last alimon she had encountered.

The alimon's eyes opened wide as she felt the teeth sink into her neck. She jerked her head roughly, swinging it from side to side. Eventually Oscura released her grip. She flew across the room and slammed into the ground. She scrambled back up to her feet and let out a loud hiss. The female alimon that she had bitten was coming towards her. She looked pissed, baring her razor sharp teeth at her. She was preparing herself to leap at the troodon, but then she suddenly stammered, shaking her head. The poisonous effects of Oscura's bite was starting to effect her. She blinked a few times, her vision becoming cloudy. After a few seconds, she slumped to the ground. She wasn't dead; just very weak.

A male alimon looked down at her. He looked shocked by this turn of events. It was like he couldn't imagine anyone taking on an alimon and winning so quickly. He looked over at the troodon and narrowed his eyes. He spoke in a threatening voice, "You will pay for that..."

The male alimon charged towards Oscura, roaring loudly. The troodon ran towards him. The alimon opened his jaws and attempted to bite, but the troodon dodged the attack. Oscura turned and lunged for the male. Expecting this sort of attack, the male moved to the side, making Oscura miss her mark. While her back was turned, the male slammed his paws against her body. The troodon yelped in pain as her body was pushed into the ground. The male alimon brought his head down, close to her face as if to taunt her. He learned too late how dangerous of a mistake that was. His impulse and anger made him forget some of the lessons he learned growing up and one of them was never bring one's face close to another's if they still had fight left in them. Oscura quickly bit him on the upper jaw. She tasted blood as she ripped back, pulling off a small chunk of skin from the male's mouth.

The male alimon puled his head back and roared in pain. Blood dripped from the wound. Some of it got into his mouth. He shook his head and spat the blood out. There was a bitter taste to it due to the poisonous saliva from the troodon mixing in. But he ended up swallowing some of it anyway. He glared at Oscura and stalked towards her, brandishing his sharp claws in her direction. Oscura did nothing except stare at him, waiting for the poison to take effect.

It didn't take very long. The male's eyes widened and he fell to the ground. He put a paw on his stomach the best he could, the glow from his eyes vanishing. The other alimons looked over at him as he suddenly opened his jaws wide as his eyes became as big as saucers. In a few seconds, he suddenly vomited. A putrid scented liquid spilled from his mouth and stained the floor. He vomited again and the pile became bigger. Then he simply collapsed, laying down in a pool of his own vomit. The other alimons grimaced at this and looked away.

The other alimons looked over at Oscura. Her eyes were wide with anger. She quickly moved over to where Peter and Kista were. She stood in front of them protectively, stomping her feet in a threatening matter. She showed the alimons her claws. She opened her jaws wide, saliva dripping from them. She didn't bother saying anything to the alimons. All she wanted was for them to leave. She let out a loud hiss. The alimons simply looked at each other and back at Oscura. They refused to move from their spot. Oscura narrowed her eyes and suddenly charged towards them.

The other alimons immediately reacted. They ran in opposite directions, giving Oscura no chance of biting them all at once. Oscura lunged for the nearest alimon, but the alimon quickly moved out of the way, letting the troodon slam against a wall instead. She shook her head, looked over at another alimon. She made her way towards him. She managed to get on his back, but he defended himself by rolling onto the ground. The force stunned Oscura just long enough for the alimon to escape from her. Eventually the alimons regrouped further away from Oscura and stared at her, growling and hissing softly.

"What are we going to do?" Asked one of the male alimons.

"Two of us are already down due to that little beast thing!" Another male responded.

A female alimon narrowed her eyes. "We can't keep dodging her bites forever." She turned to the first male that had spoken. "What's the status of the rest of the pack?"

The male turned to her. "Mission nearly accomplished. Most of the employees of this place have been killed and the survivors have fled. We have two out of three of Veloci's dinosaur transformers neutralized. And Dr. Veloci has been taken care of."

Oscura's eyes went wide at this. 'What have you done to Dr. Veloci?!'

Peter groaned and looked up at Oscura. He wasn't sure if she really wanted to know. He didn't want to believe Veloci was dead. He had shown to be very resilient in the past. He couldn't believe that he would be taken down so easily. But so far, the alimons had not given him any reason to think they were lying to him. "They told me they..killed him." Peter said, his voice slightly shaky. Oscura turned towards him, her troodon eyes wide in what he could only register as shock and disbelief. "It's true..that's what they told me. Their boss had killed him."

Oscura shook her head slowly. She didn't want to believe it. Veloci couldn't be dead. He was too tough to be killed by something like these alimons so easily. He must have escaped somehow. He must have ran off to save his own hide. She could picture him doing that. But she could not and would not picture him laying dead on the ground somewhere, his body ripped apart and blood and internal organs decorating the floor.

She turned her gaze towards the alimons. Her eyes' glow began to intensify to the point where the alimons, Peter, and Kista could no longer see the pupils in them very easily. 'I'll get you for this!' She charged towards the alimons, mouth agape. Suddenly, a new alimon came into the picture. Oscura saw a flash of green and yellow. She turned her head to see who it was, but it was too late. A pair of jaws slammed squarely shut around her neck and shoved her into the ground. She let out a yelp of pain.

Kista looked over at this. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Oscura! No!"

The green and yellow male alimon smirked as he released his grip on the troodon. Before she could get up, he slammed his foot against the side of her neck. He used his other paw to hold down her body. He positioned himself over her so that her struggles don't harm him. He looked over at the other alimons. They looked at him in disbelief. The green and yellow alimon just smirked at them. This alimon was Haze, the same alimon that had been assigned to kill Moynihan, which he claimed to have failed only because of interruptions.

Digging his claws into Oscura's skin, he leveled his gaze with the other alimons. "How disappointing of you. Many of you had claimed to be a better soldier than me, yet none of you could take down this little weakling of a dinosaur!" He pushed down harder, causing Oscura to yelp. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves! What would Blizzard think?"

One of the males, a red and white one, hissed angrily at Haze. He took a few steps towards the bright green male, baring his teeth. "You aren't the leader of this group, Haze! I am!" He shouted, his voice full of confidence. "You aren't to go around shooting comments like that to teams you aren't the leader of! It's my job to lead these guys, not you! So get lost!"

Haze stared at the red male, unblinking. A dark chuckle escaped his throat. The red male continued to look pissed, flashing his teeth at him. Haze, however, looked unafraid. "Need I remind you, Retaru, that I can still report you to Blizzard. If he found out how poorly you've been leading this team, why, he'd demote you!"

The feathers on the back of Retaru's neck rose in defiance. "You wouldn't dare! If you so much as tarnish my reputation, I'll...!"

"What a temper you have. I can see why Blizzard made you leader." Haze said, his tone more serious now. He approached the male and put his head close to his. "But heed my warning. Aggression alone isn't enough. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment, Retaru. And be willing to accept criticism. Now let us turn to more important matters." He turned his head towards Oscura, whom he had left behind. The troodon was starting to get up onto her feet. Narrowing his eyes, Haze lunged for her and pinned her again. "Now where do you think you're going, sweetums?"

'Don't call me that!' Oscura hissed at the alimon. She tried to snap up at Haze's foot, but she couldn't reach it. She glared up at the alimon. This was the second time she'd been humiliated like this. First, that white male that defeated her so easily. Now this creep has her subdued. She was a troodon! She should be able to take him on easily! If only she could get up to bite him...

Haze sensed Oscura's frustration. He raised his head up in a proud manner. He had been called names in the past for his behavior. But now he was about to do something to prove to the older soldiers that he was just as capable of a fighter as they were. He was going to take care of this poisonous threat by himself. All he needed to do was crush the puny creature's head and it would be all over. Oscura didn't stand a chance against him.

"Hold still and you won't feel any pain." Haze said, his eyes narrowed. Oscura's own eyes widened slowly. "At least, not much." With that, he opened his jaws and lowered his head towards Oscura's. The troodon began to struggle frantically. Kista tried to get up, but all she could do was watch in horror. Peter was too weak to get up.

Suddenly, something large and light red slammed into Haze. The green alimon screeched in pain as he rolled across the ground. The other alimons hissed in surprise and moved back, their eyes on the intruder. Haze shook his head and looked to see who had attacked him. His eyes widened in shock. Oscura looked to see who had saved her. She was surprised to see another alimon. But something was different about this one. It lacked the scar on its shoulders and it was faced towards the other alimons, almost as if it was protecting her. But that was crazy, wasn't it? Surely all alimons were the enemy. What would make this one so different?

The intruder, a male alimon, stood protectively over Oscura, his teeth bared angrily. His eyes glowed intensely, narrowed. His pupils were all but invisible. His tail raised in a challenge. He flexed his black claws, tapping them against the ground. The clicking sound was uneasy on everyone in the room, including the other alimons. The light red male let out a deep growl, opening his jaws. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth, almost as if he were a rabid animal.

Haze finally got out of his shocked state. He got into a fighting position, knowing there would be an intense battle coming up. "Tanner...why am I not surprised to see you here?"

The male, Tanner, snapped his jaws at the air. He was eager to start fighting. "I can say the same thing about you. If you want this troodon as your next meal, you must deal with me first."

Haze glared at Tanner. He looked around, trying to find Tanner's mate, Sapphire. He was rarely seen without her. But to his surprise, Sapphire was nowhere in sight. Haze was confused. Was she waiting in ambush somewhere? "Where's your pretty little mate, Tanner? Your girlfriend is never far behind."

"She has other things to tend to." Tanner said simply. "But I don't need her help against you losers. You'll go down easily. You're like puddy in my claws." Tanner lowered himself to the ground, like a cat that was stretching. He flexed his claws again, showing off how sharp they were by scraping the ground. His tail swished from side to side as he prepared to pounce.

A female approached him. "Surely you're joshing right? You can't take on all of us at once!"

At this, Tanner only laughed. "Just watch me, worthless mongrel!" With that, he dashed towards the group of alimons. He leaped into the air and came down towards them, his mouth split wide open. He slashed the female who had doubted him across her chest, knocking her back. Another female jumped him from behind, but he knocked her away with a flick of his tail. He bit down on a male's paw and tossed him to the side, crashing into other members of the team. He then bit down on Haze's throat and threw him as hard as he could into the ground. "Whoever wants to die first, come and get me!"

___

Everyone watched, standing back, as Donovan and Axel circled each other. This had gone on for several minutes. The two just spoke to each other, insulting each other, waiting for the other to attack. These two alimons had known each other for a very long time and, from what the Dino Squad could gather, were no strangers in battling one another. Axel hadn't tried attacking any of the Dino Squad members. She knew Donovan wouldn't allow that. She focused her attention on him. Donovan didn't trust Axel at all and he made sure she didn't leave his field of vision.

Max was feeling useless at the moment. He was certain the others felt the same way. He wanted to do something to help. But he didn't want to intervene. Stone had advised him against it. He assured the boy that Donovan would handle this. He had always done an excellent job in the past. Axel might be fierce, but Donovan was able to match that easily. Max wanted to believe Stone, but he just couldn't bring himself to trust him completely. What if Axel did something unexpected?

Caruso was getting increasingly nervous around the yellow female alimon. At first, he didn't know what it was. All he did know was that he was getting more and more afraid as she stood there, circling Donovan. Eventually it hit him. Axel was reminding him of Dr. Veloci. There was something about that look she was giving Donovan that made him think of Veloci. What disturbed him the most is, from what they had learned so far about the Darkarians, Axel would make Veloci look like an innocent child. He wasn't looking forward to finding out just how true this was.

"I see you've taken an interest in babysitting, Donovan." Axel said, grinning evilly. She turned her head over to the humans. She wasn't fooled. She knew who they were. "The Dino Squad no less. I am not surprised. They're too feeble to put up a fight against my pack. They'll tumble over easily."

Donovan said, "Don't be so quick to judge. These 'feeble humans' as you call them may take you by surprise."

Axel laughed at this. "Oh please! I could defeat them if I were blind and had only two legs!"

"That can be arranged..." Donovan said, narrowing his eyes deeply. He wanted to attack her and rip out her throat. Out of the Darkarians, she was one of the ones he hated the most. She had caused so much grief for him and his pack in the past. He wasn't going to let her cause misery to anyone else, not while he was on watch.

Axel was undaunted by Donovan's threat. To her, he was hardly a threat. She did recognize that he was a great fighter. But she still didn't feel afraid of him. He was nothing more than an annoyance to her. She looked back at the Dino Squad. She wondered what Stone had seen in them or why Blizzard considered them a threat. Oh well, at least they were easily disposable. She could kill them all right now if she wanted to.

She took notice of a blue female alimon that was with them. At first, she thought it was Sapphire, but realized the coloration was too light. She chuckled when she recognized who it was. "I see you brought Ms. Flower Grower over. I'm surprised you had the spine to come into battle, little lady. I thought fighting was beneath you."

Crescent, along with Stone, had changed into her alimon form in case she needed to defend herself. Clearly offended by Axel's comment, she raised her tail in a challenge. "Come over here and this 'little lady' will show you how I 'grow my flowers'!"

Axel just laughed at her. Not bothering to answer her challenge, she turned her attention back to Donovan. "Why are you even here protecting Raptor Dyne anyway? Not that it matters anymore. We are very close to securing this place. There's just a few loose ends to tie up. You and your Rock Ranger fools are too late!"

Donovan roared at Axel. "We'll see about that!"

Donovan charged towards Axel, who just stood there, watching him. He leaped towards her and snapped his jaws at her neck. She jumped back, barely missing being bitten. She countered by leaping towards him and ramming her head against his upper chest, sending him flying back. Axel just smirked at him triumphantly. But the battle had only just began and Donovan wasn't out yet. He jumped at her again. He brought his paw forward and landed a blow on Axel's shoulder. The female screeched and took a few steps back. She looked at her shoulder and hissed angrily at Donovan.

Everyone took a few steps back to give room for the two alimons. Donovan and Axel slammed against each other and wrestled with each other across the floor. They became a blur of teeth, claws, and colors. The room was filled with loud hisses and painful roars as the two bit and slashed each other multiple times. Blood dripped from both of them, staining the floor and mixing in with the rest of the blood. The two finally separated from one another and panted heavily. Both were covered in multiple cuts and blood.

At first, the Dino Squad thought the fight was over. They thought that the two settled on a draw since neither of them were really winning. But they were quickly proven wrong when the two roared at one another again. They circled each other like hungry wolves. They watched each other, waiting for the other to make a move. They eyed each others' injuries as if they were looking for a weak spot to attack. Their teeth were bared at one another and their eyes glowed intensively. After a few moments, they ran towards each other again.

Donovan reared up on his hand legs and raised his paw. Axel took this opportunity and lunged for Donovan, hoping to sink her teeth into his vulnerable underside. But he had other plans. He waited until she was close enough before he struck at her. He brought his paw underneath Axel and swiped upwards, slashing into her chest and neck. Blood splattered everywhere. Axel roared in pain and fell to the ground. She examined her injuries, hissing as she noticed the blood she was losing. She whipped her head around and roared at Donovan. She got back up to her feet and ran towards him.

Before he had time to react, she slammed into him and knocked him onto his back. She opened her jaws wide and clamped them down onto his chest. Donovan roared loudly and kicked Axel off of him, but not before she managed to rip a chunk of flesh out of him. Blood dripped rapidly from his wound on his chest. Donovan stared at it for several seconds before running back at Axel. The female dodged his attack and jumped onto his back. She bit him on the back, ripping away at the flesh. Donovan bucked as hard as he could and threw Axel off of him.

He turned around and jumped on top of Axel before she could get up. He pinned her down, placing one paw on her shoulder and the other on her neck. He glared down at her, tempted to finish her off. But before he could, Axel started laughing. Offended, Donovan demanded, "What are you laughing at?!"

"You, Donovan." Axel said, ignoring the pain she was in. "So determined to prove you're the better alimon..that..." She turned her head slightly upwards, just enough so that both blue eyes were on the male. "..you forget about your surroundings."

Before Donovan had time to realize what Axel was saying, he felt something wrap around his tail. He looked down and saw that Axel had grabbed his hind leg with her tail. She pulled as hard as she could. Donovan roared in surprise as he fell to the ground. Axel got up from underneath him. She positioned herself in front of him and struck out with her head. She seized Donovan's head with her jaws, sinking her teeth into his face.

"Donovan!" Crescent cried out, her eyes wide with horror.

"We can't just stand here!" Fiona said. "We have to do something!"

"Come on!" Max shouted, starting to lead his team towards the battle. But Stone blocked their path. "What are you doing?!"

Terri pointed at the battle taking place. "He needs our help!"

Stone shook his head. He had a lot of confidence in his old friend. He knew he would find a way to get free. He turned his head towards the battle. "You don't know Donovan the way I do. Just wait and see what happens."


	24. The Cavalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Axel listened to the chatter and chuckled to herself. It amused her that Stone would be so foolish as to believe in Donovan, not while he was in this helpless situation. She squeezed her jaws tighter, driving them deeper into the skin. Donovan took a swipe at her, but she did not let go of him. The strength of their species' jaws was well known. All she needed to do was apply enough pressure and Donovan's head would crack open like an egg. She continued to bite harder.

Donovan's eyes widened as he felt her teeth scrape against the bone that made up his skull. He had fought Axel before and it would more often than not end in a tie. They would both suffer injuries, but would not be close to death. This was the first time he had been this close to death at Axel's jaws. His mind flashed memories, recalling how his cruel brother, now part of the Darkarians, had tried to tear out his throat. Had it not been for Stone, he would have been dead. His eyes traveled to Stone, who just stood there watching. Donovan's eyes narrowed. Stone wasn't doing anything not because he didn't care, but because this was his fight and he didn't want to intervene. Donovan looked back up at Axel and saw his opportunity.

With a swift yet strong pull, Donovan yanked his face away too quickly for Axel to react. Gashes appeared on his face, but he ignored them. He quickly turned to Axel and slammed against her body with his head. Screeching painfully, Axel slammed against the ground. She shook her head and looked up just as Donovan bit down on her leg. She pulled her head away and roared as Donovan mustered up his strength and threw her across the room. She hit against the wall painfully and collapsed on the ground. She breathed heavily, bleeding, and looked over at Donovan. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

Crescent ran up to Donovan. Her eyes scanned his body, looking at his injuries. They were pretty bad. She didn't know if Donovan was up for many more intense battles. Axel was one of the most violent members, but there were still more dangerous Darkarians lurking around this building. "Donovan, sir, are you all right?"

Donovan hissed, wincing in pain. He shook it off as he started to walk away from her. "Yeah, I'm fine." Crescent watched as Donovan made his way towards Stone. "We must get going now, before she gets up."

Crescent shook her head slowly. "I suggest we vacate this place. The Darkarians have already claimed it."

Donovan glared over at her. Crescent backed off. "We will not leave until we find survivors. Surely someone must have been smart enough to know how to defend themselves. Once we find survivors, you will be in charge of treating their wounds."

Crescent nodded her head. She didn't dare object. "Yes, Donovan."

Stone looked over at Moynihan. "Any place you can think of where survivors might be?"

Moynihan was a little puzzled. If Stone knew as much about them as he claimed, wouldn't he already know that? Nonetheless, she answered, "There is a sealed off place in Raptor Dyne, Veloci's laboratory. It's more difficult to access, but I suspect the Darkarians are already there."

Stone nodded his head. "No doubt. I suspect that Oscura, Peter, and Kista are down there. If there's any place they'd go for safety, it would be there."

Not liking this idea, Caruso stepped up towards Stone. "Why do you want to save them? They tried to kill us!"

Stone nodded. "Yes, I'm aware of that, boy. But I told you before, we need all the help we can get against the Darkarians. They are not to be trifled with. Understand that."

"I understand." Caruso said. "But I still don't like this idea."

"I agree. How could we ensure that they won't try anything? If we take them to the lighthouse, what's to stop them from destroying our equipment?" Rodger asked. He remembered how Michelle wrecked their equipment in the past. It took them a long time to get things back to the way they were before.

"Don't worry. My pack and I will ensure they won't do anything." Stone said with confidence.

"That's correct." Donovan said, turning his attention towards the Dino Squad. "We Rock Rangers might be more honorable than the Darkarians, but we are just as dangerous." He lifted his paw, showing his sharp claws to the team. "If those three try anyone stupid, they will quickly regret it."

Stone looked at Donovan. "Lower your paw." After Donovan did so, Stone said, "It is true, however. We have our ways of getting what we want. But we are not like the Darkarians. We won't stoop to the same level as the Darkarians. But we will apply the necessary force to keep these enemies of yours from causing trouble, at least until the Darkarians are driven out of Raptor Dyne."

Suddenly, there were multiple loud roars that echoed in the building. Stone, Donovan, and Crescent raised up their heads, eyes wide with shock. The teenagers looked around, trying to find the source. Moynihan, frowning, looked around the room. Rump, who had, despite the fight between Axel and Donovan, remained quiet, started whining, ears lowered back. This wasn't a good sign. They rarely see Rump act this way and for him to do so, something terrible must be going on.

They heard the roars again. Even though they weren't familiar with the roars, the Dino Squad could tell that the roars came from multiple alimons. It sounded like there was some kind of fight going on. Moynihan listened to the roars carefully, closing her eyes. They seemed to be originating below them, where Veloci's lab would be. A few loud crashes could be heard as well. Whoever or whatever was down there, an intense fight was going on.

"I heard Oscura!" Michelle shouted. Normally whenever she'd say this, they would prepare for a fight against the insane troodon. But for now, Oscura was not the enemy, but an ally against a common enemy. Oscura's bite just might prove useful.

"How could you tell?" Buzz asked. "I heard it all as well, but I couldn't hear anything that sounded like her."

"After working with her for so long..." Michelle said, smirking at Buzz. "..I learned to recognize her by her dinosaur voice, as you could call it."

"Well what do we do now?" Buzz asked, looking perplexed. "Should we go after them?"

"Yes, we should." Moynihan said, narrowing her eyes. She looked down the hallway and spotted an elevator. She wasn't sure if it was the right one or not, but she pointed her finger in that direction. "There's an elevator. We'll take it to Veloci's laboratory."

Michelle looked over at the elevator. She sighed and shook her head. "No, that's the wrong elevator. The elevator that Veloci uses to access his lab is in another hallway."

Stone listened to them talk. He looked over at the elevator. If all the elevators were the same, there was no way they could all fit in, even if they were all in human form. If there was only one elevator that went to the laboratory, that would complicate things further. There would have to be another way into Veloci's lab. He searched his memory, trying to remember if there was any article that was stored about this.

Then he remembered there was indeed another way in. They would have to leave the building, however. But around the back, there was a secret entrance into the lab. It was off limits and Veloci was very strict on how can come through that place. He bit his lip. He knew leaving the building was a risk. He didn't know how many Darkarians were down in the lab. They might have even barricaded it shut, and if they were to try to come back in, more Darkarians may seal the other entrance shut.

But he knew it was the only option they really had. Seeing the carnage in this building, many Darkarians were here, greatly outnumbering their small group. They would need maximum power in order to rescue any survivors and get out alive. He listened to the roars, feeling confident they had at least one more Rock Ranger in the building. He recognized Tanner's roars amongst them. While he didn't give him any orders to come into Raptor Dyne, he was glad he did. He hoped that Tanner would be able to by them some time, but he knew he would not be able to defeat all the Darkarians on his own.

"Forget the elevator!" Stone shouted.

Michelle looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? We need to get to the laboratory, don't we?"

"Yes, but it will take too long for all of us to go with the elevator. We need to get there faster!" Stone insisted. He turned around and began walking back the way they had come in. He gestured with his head. "Come on, this way! There's another entrance around back! We'll use that!"

Max frowned, not sure if that was a good idea. If they all left to go to the one entrance, that would stall time. If there were any survivors in the lab, they would be dead before they would get to them. He agreed the elevator was too small for all of them, but a small band of them could still go and buy more time. He looked over at his teammates, trying to figure out who would be best to go in first. He needed to pick strategically. The goal was, indeed, to buy time, so he couldn't pick just anyone.

His thoughts were interrupted by Donovan. He felt a nudge against his body. He looked over. Donovan had nudged him with his tail. "Are you listening, kid? Get a move on!"

Max wasn't ready yet. He still needed a little time to think. He looked back at his teammates. It didn't take him long to decide who would be best to go. Michelle's agility would come in handy. She might be small, but she was a formidable opponent. Buzz's flying ability would be a great distraction. He was the least likely one to be attacked. Then he could provide the muscle. He didn't like to brag, but his jaws would be formidable against the Darkarians. Combined, the three of them, might be enough to stall time for the others to arrive.

Max turned to Stone. "If it's all right with you, Michelle, Buzz, and I will go in the elevator. One of us should get there as soon as possible. We can buy time for the rest of you to show up and help us out."

Donovan frowned. "That would be suicide! Do you realize just how strong the Darkarians are?" He placed his head very close to Max's. "If you don't mind being ripped apart, by all means, take the elevator!"

"Look, I was just trying to help!" Max said.

"If you want to help..." Donovan narrowed his yes. "..follow Stone's orders!"

"Now, now Donovan, calm down." Stone walked over. He gently pushed Donovan away from Max. He looked at the boy, a smile on his face. "I rather like your idea. I don't know why I didn't think of it before." He raised his head up. "You and the other two head to the elevator now. We will meet you there!"

"Okay!" Max looked over at Buzz and Michelle. He gestured for them, but he didn't need to. They were already running up towards him.

"I hope you know what you are doing." Buzz said, sounding nervous. He wasn't looking forward to the idea of being a distraction. But part of him did want an opportunity to best a Darkarian.

"It will be fine, Buzz." Michelle said, sounding confident.

Max looked over and saw that Stone, Donovan, and the rest of the team were heading back outside. Knowing there was no time to waste, he turned over to Michelle. "Where is the elevator?"

"Right this way!" Michelle said, pointing down the hallway. "It isn't far from here!" She was about to run when she noticed there was an extra person with them. "Crescent? What are you doing?"

"Stone wanted me to come with you guys, to provide some extra strength." Crescent said.

The group, not wanting to waste time, headed down the hallway. They did their best to ignore the blood and bodies all over the place. It didn't take them long to reach the elevator. It was coated in blood, but Michelle still had the courage to reach over and press a button. The numbers above flashed, changing constantly until it reached the floor they were on. There was a ding sound, and the doors opened up slowly. One by one, they started to enter the elevator.

Michelle was the first one to get in. She positioned herself where there was a number pad. She sensed someone standing next to her, she looked over and saw Max. "It's been a long time since I tried to access this place. I just hope my memory hasn't gotten that rusty."

Max nodded his head, agreeing with her. This was one reason he picked her. She had worked here before and would know how to get into the lab. Unless Dr. Veloci changed things around, the way Michelle accessed the labs should still work. He looked over as Buzz entered the elevator. The only one left was Crescent. "Hurry, before the doors close!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Crescent, who was in human form to make room, dashed towards the elevator. She was just about to enter it when something grabbed her from behind. She had enough time to see the trio stare up at her. Then a horrible pain erupted from her back. She gasped as she felt sharp claws cut into her back.

"Surprise!" Axel said, still coated in blood, now in human form.

She held Crescent up with one hand, her claws on her other hand digging into the girl's back. With a swift motion, she slashed downwards. Crescent screamed in pain. Axel's eyes started to glow and sharp teeth appeared in her mouth. She tossed Crescent into the ground. The girl turned onto her back just as Axel lunged for her, claws and teeth brandished. Her own fangs and teeth appeared as well, but she was unable to stop Axel's attack. She grunted as the woman landed on top of her and proceeded to strike her with her claws.

"Crescent!" Max shouted, moving towards her. The elevator doors shut, however, preventing him from going anywhere. He whipped over to Michelle. "Hurry, open the door!"

"It's too late, I'm afraid." Michelle said, her voice filled with regret. "Veloci designed these elevators so that they won't open until they reach their destination. I cannot open the doors until we reached the lab. I'm sorry."

Max narrowed his eyes at her. He was going to say something, but managed to stop himself. He looked over at the elevator doors again. Frustrated, he pointed the doors with his fist. "I hope she'll be all right without us..."

___

Haze trembled. It wasn't just from fear, but also from pain. He was covered in many injuries. He held his mouth open, panting painfully as he tried to make sense of what had happened. He and his small team were sent to kill off Kista, Peter, and Oscura. It was such a simple assignment. They couldn't have mucked it up this badly. They were so close to fulfilling their goal as well. They were such pathetic fighters. They were too easy to take down. They did put up a good fight, but in the end, they were still weak.

Then, before they could finish the job, an unexpected factor had interrupted the fight. And that factor was Tanner. They hadn't expect him to be here. He thought that he had been on some other assignment. They hadn't seen Tanner very often in battles, much to his relief. What he hated about Tanner the most was his fighting style. He was more tenacious than most of the Rock Rangers. It didn't help that Tanner had a deep hatred of Darkarians and would not show mercy, unlike some other members such as Stone. He and his team fought the best they could, but it still came down to this.

All around him were the fallen bodies of his comrades. Most of them were dead. Their heads had been ripped open, whatever was left of their brains exposed. This was Tanner's favorite killing method. He'd rip open the head of his opponent and tear out a chunk of the most vital parts of the brain, effectively killing his opponent. The others that were still alive were badly hurt, at least one near death. All of them were unconscious, at Tanner's mercy, if he would ever show them any. He was the only one still able to stand, but that wasn't going to last very long.

As he struggled to his feet, Tanner walked over towards him. His claws and teeth were stained with Darkarian blood. He watched in contempt as Haze got up onto his feet, albeit a little shaky. "You should count yourself lucky. Out of all you foul Darkarians that were in this room, I hate you the most. After what you did to Stone's sister, Ezma...I should tear you apart slowly and make you suffer..."

Haze laughed bitterly at this. He remembered Ezma. He remembered the day he had killed her. It wasn't his decision to make, but that didn't change anything. "Then why don't you just kill me like I did her? Wouldn't that please you?"

Tanner narrowed his eyes. He spoke coldly, "No..it would not. It would not change what had happened, and for me to bestow death onto you..that would be an act of mercy. And as you know...I am not soft like Stone is. I won't let scum like you get any kind of special treatment from me."

Haze growled, "That didn't stop you from killing the others."

"You are special." Tanner's voice was full of venom. "I have something special in mind for you..."

Haze didn't like the sound of Tanner's voice. He took a few steps back, trying to look for an escape route. Tanner was injured like he was, but his anger and determination would help him fight. Haze had seen this guy in battle before and knew that, if he wanted to live, he would have to act quickly. He didn't know how long it would take for Tanner to attack him. Without thinking long enough, Haze bolted towards the elevator.

"Oh no you don't!" Tanner ran off after him. He leaped into the air and landed on Haze's back. The Darkarian screeched in pain as he was slammed into the ground. Tanner held him down. "You aren't getting away that easily!"

"So you got me..." Haze said, blood trinkling from his mouth. "Now why not just finish me? Who knows? I might come after your pretty little girlfriend..."

Tanner's eyes widened in anger. "How dare you threaten Sapphire, you worthless piece of garbage!" With that, he struck Haze across his neck. The green alimon roared in pain. Tanner watched as blood flowed from the new wound. It wasn't enough to satisfy him. He struck out again at the neck, making the wound even bigger. "If you ever try something like that, I will be sure I am the stuff of your nightmares for years to come!"

Haze coughed. He gazed up at Tanner with a single, half-open eye. "You're even weaker than I thought..."

"Watch it..." Tanner said, baring his teeth. "I am in control here now, not you! You are alone!"

"And so are you..." Haze hissed under his breath. A creepy smile appeared on the alimon's face. He starting laughing. "An even bigger fool than I would have imagined..."

"What are you talking about, Darkarian?!" Tanner hissed. But he got his question before Haze was able to give it to him. Something struck him from behind. Tanner's eyes widened and he roared in pain as he fell into the ground. He climbed back onto his feet and looked over at his attacker. He was shocked at what he saw. "What the..."

Standing in the room were more Darkarians. A few were standing close to where the three humans he was protecting were. The rest were nearing him. The group was relatively large, a bit bigger than the last group he fought. He took a few steps back. This must have been what Haze was talking about. He had been so busy fighting these Darkarians that he had failed to consider that more might be in the building. There was no way he could continue fighting them all. He was already starting to feel exhausted.

One of the Darkarians began moving even closer to him. The Darkarian, a male, bared his teeth. His feathers were bristling with anticipation. Tanner growled and lowered his head threateningly. He flexed his ebony claws, eager to tear into the Darkarian male. The Darkarians did not look threatened by him, however. They were all grinning menacingly at them, believing they had gotten the upper hand. Tanner knew he couldn't allow them to believe that, or they would finish him off in a heart beat. In an attempt to scare them off, he let out a loud roar.

All this did was make a few of his enemies roll their eyes. They could see right through his ruse. A roar rarely worked on alimons, especially ones that had a strong blood lust for fighting. Tanner growled at the Darkarians. He looked over at the trio of humans he had been protecting. They were still there, watching the fight in horror. He had to get them out of there before it was too late. He was the only one who could protect them at the moment. Unless help arrived soon, he had to stand his ground.

He bolted towards them. The Darkarians just watched him, curious to see what he was going to do next. Tanner positioned himself beside the trio of humans. He ignored their confused looks and turned his attention to the nearest Darkarian, a female one this time. He put his face close to hers, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Get lost! This isn't your property!"

"Then whose property is it?" The female Darkarian asked slyly.

"Dr. Veloci's of course!" Tanner said, lifting his head up a little. "I may not be fond of the guy myself, but he was at least better than the lot of you."

The female Darkarian chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Oh please! If that were true, he would have been able to defend himself against our leader. But he was taken down very quickly. He didn't stand a chance!"

Tanner hissed at this. He didn't believe everything she was saying. He had known, from experience, never to take a Darkarian's word completely. Many of them loved putting in half-truths. Part of what they say would be true, but another part would be made up. Darkarians did this to mess with others, to catch them off guard or make them feel uncomfortable. He had gotten so used to this charade of theirs that he learned to tell when they were telling a truth or when they were telling a lie.

He hardly believed that Dr. Veloci was actually dead. If he knew the Darkarians well enough, they might keep him around as a prisoner, or even as a pet. The man did know how to operate the machinery in this place and had documents of his experiments. The Darkarians could easily learn this, of course, but they would find it easier just to have Veloci explain it to them. He imagined Blizzard would force Veloci into a deal, making him tell the Darkarians what they wanted to know in exchange for his survival.

Tanner narrowed his eyes. That would lead to another problem. The only reason the Darkarians would keep him alive was either for their amusement or if he was useful to them in some way. Once his usefulness had worn out, or when the Darkarians grew bored with them, there was nothing stopping them from killing him off. Veloci would be in no condition to fight them either. He didn't know the extent of his injuries, but he wouldn't doubt that the Darkarian leader did a number on him.

He heard a sound beside him. He turned to see the young, black-haired teenager get onto her feet. She still winced from pain, but he was amazed to see how defiant she looked. Even if he hadn't seen her in Raptor Dyne, he could tell, just by looking at her, that she was likely an employee of this place. "Get back, child." Tanner said, his voice low, serious. "You and the others must get out of here! You don't stand a chance against them."

Oscura looked over at him, her eyes narrowed. "Shut up!" Tanner snapped his head back, slightly surprised by her attitude towards him. "I don't need your help in taking care of these clowns!"

Tanner shook his head. He admired determination, but there were times when it was best to leave things be. "The lone wolf attitude will get you killed, child." As Oscura drew closer, he quickly moved in front of her, blocking her path. She gave him a nasty stare, but he ignored it. "Just leave. I will hold them off."

A cold laughter emitted from one of the Darkarians. "You think you can hold us back? For how long?"

Another Darkarian sneered, "I'd give it only a minute, if even that. There's too many of us!"

"Yeah!" A female Darkarian declared. Her glowing eyes stared at Oscura intently. "Though I'd love to see what she thinks she can do to us. Scrawny little thing, hardly worth the effort for a meal if you ask me. Though she'd make a lovely snack..." She said, scratching her lower jaw thoughtfully.

Kista's eyes widened in horror at this. She wanted to say something, but she was in too much pain to speak. A Darkarian had struck her on the mouth earlier before Tanner had knocked them away from her. The alimons had done a number on her. She still couldn't get up. It would take her a while to recover from the kind of attacks she suffered, especially the injuries on her leg. She tried to get up, but she slumped back down. All she could do was watch as the Darkarian that made that comment about her adopted daughter move towards Oscura, licking her lips.

Luckily Peter was still able to take. "Get away from her!" He wasn't able to save Veloci, but he could still save remaining members of Raptor Dyne. He still felt a duty to Veloci and knew that he would want him to save at least the dinosaur transformers to carry on his work. Peter tried to get up, but fell back down. The Darkarians looked over at him, laughing. "Just wait until I transform again. I will crush you all!"

The Darkarians continued to laugh. Was this guy for real? Did he really think he could harm them? They looked at each other, giggling and sneering evilly. Four of them broke off from the group, three males and one female, and headed towards Peter. The man did his best to hide his fear, but the Darkarians could sense that he was starting to regret his words.

Once they were close enough, a black and blue male moved out in front, his eyes narrowed and a smile across his jaws. "And how exactly do you think you'll fight us? You can't even get up, you pathetic little creature you." He lowered his head. "If I were you, I would just surrender. You might just survive that way."

"And if I don't?" Peter asked, hoping to buy himself and the others a little bit of time.

The gold and brown female sneered, "Trust me. You don't want to know what we could do to you."

"That's right." A greyish blue male alimon stated, tilting his head slightly to one side. "Blizzard has granted us free reign. We're allowed to do what we want to the Raptor Dyne worms like yourself." He lifted up a paw and showed the man his claws. "And I could put these anywhere I please..."

Tanner's eyes widened. He tried to move forward to protect Peter, but two Darkarians held him down. He struggled to get up, but more Darkarians came over. He winced as he felt their teeth sink into him, and then their claws. Normally he would be able to get away, but he was still tired from fighting the last group. He wasn't able to muster up enough strength this time. He watched as the greyish blue Darkarian moved in closer to Peter and traced a claw tip along the side of his head.

"The skin of humans is so brittle. It takes almost no effort to slice." He pressed harder. Immediately the claw sank in. Peter yelped as he felt the claw go into the skin just behind his ear. The Darkarian pulled out. "See what I mean?" He looked over at his bloodied claw. He sniffed at it momentarily, and then licked it. "At least you won't got to waste as a meal."

He raised up his claw, about to attack just for the heck of it, when something solid struck him. He flew across the room and landed painfully against the ground. The other Darkarians looked over to see what had attacked him. They were greeted by a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. A female Darkarian got caught in the jaws of their attacker. She screeched and tried to get away, but the attacker was unrelenting. With a thrust, the attacker threw her against the ground. She hit her head hard and went unconscious.

Peter looked up, in shock, as Max, in tyrannosaurus form, stood in front of them. Quickly joining him was Buzz and Michelle, also transformed. "What are you doing here, Dino Squad?"

Max looked down at him, but did not answer. Instead, he roared and dashed forward. Using his head, he scooped under a group of the evil alimons and flipped his head upwards sharply. The force easily tossed the alimons away. He could hear them crashing into the hard floor behind him. He turned around and ran aver them. He opened his jaws wide and snapped down on a tail of a male Darkarian and threw him against a table. Suddenly he roared as two male Darkarians jumped onto his back. He struggled to get them off, but it was too no avail.

Michelle and Buzz acted quickly. Michelle ran up along Max's thick tail and onto his back. Hissing loudly, she climbed onto the back of one of the Darkarians and bit down into his back. The Darkarian, roaring painfully, released his grip and turned towards her. The two wrestled off of Max and tumbled across the floor. He pinned her down and attempted to bite her. Michelle moved her head from side to side, dodging the attacks. She lifted up a foot and clicked the alimon on the shin and then pushed him off of her.

Buzz swooped up into the air. He stared at his target, the remaining Darkarian. Getting a lock on his target, he made a sharp turn and dove downwards. He brought his feet forward, brandishing his sharp talons. Before the Darkarian could react, the talons tore into his flesh. The alimon screeched as he was knocked clean off of the tyrannosaurus's back. He slammed into the ground, but Buzz wasn't finished yet. He swooped down and landed on top of the Darkarian. Using his sharp beak, he drove the tip into the alimon's exposed underside. He slashed downward, tearing off a piece of flesh.

Tanner was amazed at this. He couldn't help but smile. Even if they weren't alimons, they were still allies. "Looks like I'm not alone anymore."


	25. Building Conquered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Buzz lifted a Darkarian as high as he could go, and then flung him to the side. The Darkarian hit against the wall and fell to the ground. Buzz wasn't finished yet. He dove in towards him, hoping to strike with his sharp talons. As he got close enough, the Darkarian opened his eyes and looked up at his attacker. He struggled to his feet and reared onto his hind legs. He pulled a paw back, poised to strike. Buzz changed his position at the last second, instead slamming his lightweight body against him. The Darkarian, being on his hind legs, went down pretty easily.

The evil alimon shook his head and looked up as Buzz stood next to him, still in his pteranodon form. He hissed at him loudly, showing off his large fangs. Buzz responded by screeching back at him, causing the alimon to rub at his ear holes, the noise causing him pain. He wasn't the only one. A few others in the room were responding in a similar fashion. Buzz did eventually stop screeching, but the Darkarian could still hear a ringing sound in his head.

As he shook his head to get the sound out of his mind, Buzz moved into another position and lifted a foot. He aimed at the alimon's underside and struck down. He made contact with the flesh, tearing into the alimon's chest and underside. Blood squirted everywhere, covering the ground, Buzz, and the alimon. His talons dug in deep, ripping open the alimon's abdomen wall a little. The Darkarian roared in pain and struck Buzz away with his tail. He struggled to his feet and moved towards the pteranodon.

He tried to ignore the pain in his belly as he approached the pteranodon. But he wasn't able to make it too far. He felt someone was getting close to him. He looked over to see Tanner just upon him. He grunted in pain as Tanner pushed him onto his back. The light red alimon then struck him in the same spot Buzz did. His claws cut in much deeper and as he pulled out, the Darkarian's intestines spilled out onto the floor, steam rising up from them.

The Darkarian fell to the ground, howling in pain. He looked up at Tanner in fear and then glanced at his wound, horrified at the extensiveness of them. His nose was filled with the scent of his own organs out in the open. The pain soon began to die down. His vision started to blur and darken. He struggled to get up, but he was too weak. He slipped back down. Finally, he closed his eyes and his body went limp. A horrible smell started to emit from his body, the scent of death. Tanner lowered his head, sniffed him a few times, then turned and walked away.

Michelle lowered her head and dashed towards Haze, who was making his way towards Oscura. She jumped into the air and landed on his back. She bit into the back of his neck and held on tight. Haze hissed, annoyed by Michelle's interference. He violently shook his body from side to side, eventually using his weight to knock her off. The guanlong stumbled across the room. She got up, shook her head, and looked over at her attacker. Haze ran towards her, mouth agape. Eyes widened, she managed to jump out of the way at the last second.

Haze quickly turned and backhanded Michelle with a front paw. She fell onto her back. She opened her eyes just as Haze placed a foot on her chest and underside. She winced in pain as she felt the talon tips dig into her skin. She could feel blood slowly dripping from here, but it was hard to tell due to the red hue of her chest and belly. She opened her jaws wide and bit down on the paw. Haze snapped his head back, roaring. Michelle took this chance to slip out from underneath him. She ran around him and jumped onto his side.

She bit down on his shoulder, tearing at the flesh. She dug her hand claws into him. She kicked her feet at him, her long foot claws dealing more damage. She shredded up the skin the best she could. Several lacerations appeared on the Darkarian's right shoulder. Blood dripped to the ground. The smell of his blood quickly filled her nostrils. Haze was struggling to get her off of him. He moved his head over, snapping his jaws at her body. She could feel his hot breath as he kept missing slamming his teeth into her vulnerable side. Her luck soon ran out and she roared in pain as he bit down on her tail. He threw her into the ground and made his way towards her.

Michelle struggled to get up, but she was quickly pushed back down by a huge alimon paw. She looked up with one yellow eye as Haze loomed over her, his expression showing how pissed off he was at her. He bared his teeth at her, growling softly. She could tell what he wanted to do with her and she knew he wasn't going to waste his time with it. Her suspicions proved true as the alimon opened his jaws and moved towards her neck. She felt the teeth press against her skin. She could feel Haze apply pressure, driving the teeth further into her neck.

Haze suddenly roared in pain and reared onto his hind legs. Michelle got up as quickly as she could and moved away. She looked back, her eyes widening in shock when she saw who had come to her rescue. '...Oscura...?'

Indeed, Oscura had transformed into her troodon self and attacked Haze. The small dinosaur clung on the best she could. She had bitten down on one of the wounds Michelle had made previously. She held on as long as she could before Haze managed to throw her off. She rolled across the ground, but quickly regained her footing. She glanced over at Michelle momentarily and looked back at Haze. She took a step forward and let out a loud hiss, showing her claws to him. The Darkarian narrowed his eyes and roared at her. He ran towards her and snapped his jaws in her direction. The red troodon dodged out of the way and looked back at him, looking like she was expecting something to happen.

And, within a few seconds, something did happen. Haze started to wobble from side to side. His eyes were starting to close. He was having a hard time keeping them open. He looked over at the troodon and guanlong. His vision was rapidly blurring, and soon all he could see were blurs of many different colors, some vibrant, some dull. He struggled to walk, but his body swayed more and more. He shook his head several times, but that just made him feel even worse. He collapsed onto the ground, closing his eyes. He wasn't dead yet. His breathing could still be heard, ragged.

Michelle looked over at Oscura. Of all the people, she was the last one she'd expect to help her. She knew there was a catch, though. Oscura hated her, so there must be a reason she'd even think of letting her live. 'I never would of thought you would come to my aid.' She said, her tone that of amusement.

'Oh shut up.' Oscura said, staring intently in her direction. 'I only did it for two reasons. I did it because these alimons are a bigger threat to us than you and the Dino Squad, and I did it because I want to have the pleasure of killing you myself...' As she said this, she bared her teeth at Michelle, drool dripping from her jaw.

'And I expected nothing less from you.' Michelle said before she turned her attention back to the battle.

___

Crescent and Axel wrestled with each other across the floor. Their claws were interlocked together as they struggled to pin the other down. They moved so quickly across the floor that they would appear as nothing but a blur of color to anyone watching them. The floor creaked a few times in weak spots as the heavy animals continued their wrestling. They ignored all the blood, organs, and corpses they were rolling across. Their jaws were open and they hissed loudly at each other.

Finally they came to a stop. They were up against a corner, a dead end hallway. Crescent found herself on the ground, looking up at the menacing Darkarian. She tried her best to hide her fear, but it was difficult not to tremble at the sight of this particular Darkarian. She had heard stories about her in the past. Axel was one of the most aggressive Darkarians and usually only Donovan could take her on and win. She herself had never fought Axel before and she would be foolish to think she could win this fight. She had to find some way to escape.

Axel's icy blue eyes looked down at her in contempt. She didn't know why Stone bothered bringing someone like her along. Crescent had no real training in battle. She was just a nurse. All she was good for was fixing up wounds and healing the sick. She was useless in battle. Stone had wasted his time bringing her here. She couldn't imagine what the old geezer was thinking bringing someone as pathetic as this nurse Rock Ranger. Killing her would almost be unexciting for her.

"I still don't know why Stone bothered to bring you with." Axel said, lowering her head slightly. She looked Crescent up and down, an unimpressed expression on her face. "You haven't been trained for any kind of fighting."

Crescent narrowed her eyes at her. "You're wrong! We're all trained for fighting! I was taught how to defend myself against scum like you!"

Axel cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh really now? I can't imagine you were taught for very long. After all...what would a nurse Rock Ranger need with fight training? You heal and that's it. That isn't very useful in battle."

"True, but never estimate your opponent." Crescent said. She still had a frightened look on her face, but she was doing her best to look brave.

Axel could see right through this charade. She was good at recognizing emotion and could gauge what others were thinking by looking at their faces. This wasn't always the case, but it was reliable enough for her. She looked at Crescent, seeing her tremble, seeing the look on her face, noting her increased heart rate. She was amused that this little brat was trying to make herself look tough. It would almost be a shame to kill her off. She could keep her as a prisoner of war and amuse herself with her. She grinned evilly at the thought.

Crescent seemed to read Axel's mind. "If you're thinking of taking me prisoner, think again!"

Axel laughed at her darkly. "And just how do you plan on stopping me?"

"Like this!" Crescent shouted back. She moved her tail up and wrapped it around Axel's. The Darkarian hissed at this and snapped her jaws towards her. The blue alimon reacted quickly enough and pulled Axel away. As Axel was on the ground near her, Crescent got off the ground and moved away from her.

Axel didn't remain on the ground for very long. She got onto her feet almost as quickly as she went down. She shook her head and looked over at Crescent. She hissed at her, baring her sharp teeth. She wasted no time in charging towards her. Crescent reared up just as Axel struck at her, slashing her shoulder. Crescent roared in pain before taking a swipe at Axel. She felt her claws make contact with her and she slashed downwards. The yellow alimon grunted in pain and moved back on all fours. She struck out with her tail, effectively knocking Crescent back on the ground.

Crescent looked up as Axel stood over her, grinning evilly down at her. She turned her head away and quickly noticed a discarded weapon. It must have fallen from the hands of a Raptor Dyne employee as they tried to defend themselves. It was covered in blood and crushed up, rendering it useless. Crescent turned back over at Axel, realizing something that she could do. She slowly reached for the weapon, waiting for Axel to get close enough. When Axel got close enough, Crescent tossed the weapon at her as the evil alimon reared on her hind legs.

The weapon skidded across the floor. Axel didn't notice it in time. When she took another step, her foot got caught on the weapon. Since she was standing on her back legs, she easily lost her footing. She fell down, hitting her stomach with some force. She grunted, slowly getting back onto her feet. She couldn't believe she was stupid enough to allow herself to be tripped up by a mere piece of junk. She kicked the weapon away and shook her head. She looked up at where Crescent was. Her eyes widened as she saw the nurse running down the hallway.

"Oh no you don't..." Axel hissed and gave chase. "Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!"

Crescent looked back, not bothering to stop. "You have to catch me first!"

Crescent ran as fast as she could. She knew Axel could catch up to her quickly if she wasn't careful. She didn't know where she was going. Her mind was racing. She had to find some way to get rid of Axel long enough so she could rejoin the others. She'd never get back with them with Axel tailing her like this. She looked back briefly and she could see the Darkarian was only a few feet behind her, snapping her jaws in her direction. Crescent looked out in front of her, not finding any way for her to get away.

She noticed a large set of doors that were open. A horrible smell emitted from it. She ignored the smell and jumped right inside, but she quickly regretted this decision. The room was filled with a lot of heavy boxes, likely equipment that hadn't been unpacked yet. There were a couple small desks in the room, mostly concentrated in one corner. There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver in here and she could be easily backed up. And on top of that, the room was littered with human corpses. It didn't take her long to know that the Darkarians had been in this room.

She turned back and saw Axel had reached her already. The yellow alimon growled and slowly approached her, head down low in a threatening manner. Crescent could only back away, trying to ensure distance between her and Axel. Suddenly, Axel lunged at her. Teeth tore into her front leg. Crescent pulled her head back and roared. She struggled to pull her leg free, but Axel's grip was like a vice. Axel, mustering up as much strength as she could, threw the light blue alimon into a pile of heavy boxes. Crescent yelped as a box landed on her tail, trapping her.

Axel smirked at this. She walked a little away from Crescent, though still keeping close to her, and looked at her. "I might have expected this from you. I told you...you are not fit for battle." She turned slowly towards Crescent, grinning maliciously. Her tongue licked across her lips as she imagined what she could do with Crescent now. She took a step forward. "However, you may be fit for a dinner. You are good with herbs and spices, aren't you?"

Crescent struggled to get herself free. But her tail was stuck tightly. She looked at it worriedly, wondering how she was going to free herself. She looked back at Axel and backed up as far as she could without bending her tail painfully. She lifted up a paw and showed the yellow alimon her claws defensively. "Don't come any closer."

Axel laughed at this. "You really are funny, you know that?" She started to approach her. "Perhaps I should consider my option of keeping you prisoner instead. You could amuse me."

Crescent growled at this, but then noticed something moving beside her. She turned her head slightly, straining her eyes to see the object. It looked like a severed human arm. But why was it moving? She continued to look down until she could see some clear fluid on the floor. Her eyes trailed over and she saw that a box had been opened. Inside was an unused large bottle of water humans tend to put in their work places. There were a few small holes on it, causing it to drip.

She stared at it for several moments, almost forgetting about Axel behind her. She quickly remembered when she heard Axel roar and dash towards her. Crescent looked back. Frightened, her body filling up with adrenaline, she jumped out of the way, her tail finally getting free. Axel was shocked at this and found herself slamming into the water device. Her claws easily ripped it open. Axel roared as she was doused in water. She tried to keep her footing, but she slipped and fell. She slid across the room and slammed against a wall.

Crescent took this opportunity and moved behind one of the pile of boxes. She slammed against it as hard as she could. The boxes tumbled down. One of the boxes, thanks to the water on the floor, slid at a considerable speed over at Axel. The Darkarian turned her head just as the box slammed against her. She let out a loud roar of pain and then there was silence. Crescent waited cautiously, dust rising from the floor where it had struck the evil female alimon. After several minutes, there was nothing but silence. Crescent wasn't sure if Axel was dead or not, but she decided not to wait to find out. She bolted out of the room.

As she left, a flash of light emitted from behind the box. Axel, in her human form, pulled herself out from between the wall and box. She was covered in dust and received a few new scrapes. Her hair was missed up, in need of some washing. She looked over at where Crescent fled, her eyes glowing, enraged. "I'll get you for this..." With that, she stumbled towards the door, grabbing it to support herself. She watched as Crescent continued to run down the hallway. "Mark my words, you brat."

___

'Where do these things keep coming from?!' Buzz cried as he barely dodged another attack from an alimon. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. His wings were getting really tired from flapping for so long.

'Shouldn't we just get the survivors to safety?' Michelle asked, turning her head towards Max. 'It would be wiser to do that than to sit here and fight all these Darkarians.'

'We must wait for Stone! He should be here any second!' Max bit down on another Darkarian and tossed him to the side.

Oscura, who was back in human form, leaned against the wall and watched the scene playing before her in confusion. She didn't know why the Dino Squad would come to their aid. They were enemies after all. She had tried to kill them before, especially Michelle. The thought of them helping her even after all that puzzled her. She shook her head. They were a bunch of fools. They'll realize their mistake soon enough. But for now, she admittingly was enjoying this fight, even if she had to sit this one out. She was still injured.

Max was growing increasingly exhausted. His movements were becoming more and more delayed. He hadn't even been fighting that long. He didn't know how the alimons could fight like this. He had never had to move so fast, react so quickly, like this before. And the alimons just keep coming. Just when he thought he was finished, many more take their place. Not all the alimons were down for very long. Some Max had thought were dead were merely unconscious. As soon as they were awake, they lunged for him, biting into his legs, tail, and back.

Michelle and Buzz were not fairing as well either. Michelle was slowing down considerably and soon she found herself being knocked into the ground. She defended herself the best she could. Buzz helped her out, driving his talons into the alimons' backs. But he was slowing down as well. Soon the pair stood in one part of the room, leaning against each other for support. They looked over, watching in horror as the Darkarians stalked towards them, not looking nearly as tired as they were.

'How...' Buzz asked, his beak wide open as he took in several quick breaths. '..how can you still have the energy to fight?'

A male Darkarian laughed at this. "Well isn't it obvious, bird brain? We've actually trained ourselves in the art of fighting. We have more endurance than you could ever hope for!" He and his group continued to move towards the two. "But now you don't need to worry about that anymore." He licked his chops.

Michelle turned her head towards Buzz. 'Do you think you could carry me?'

Buzz shook his head. 'No..I'm too tired. I'm sorry.'

"Enough chit chat. Time to die!" A female Darkarian shouted.

Buzz and Michelle watched as the Darkarians bolted towards them. Before they had time to realize what was going to happen to them, there was a loud crash and dust quickly filled the room. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, coughing and waving at the air to clear up the dust. Once it had cleared up, everyone realized there was a new set of alimons, but these weren't Darkarians. They were Rock Rangers. The Darkarians that were about to attack Michelle and Buzz suddenly found themselves tackled by a small group of Rock Rangers.

The remaining Darkarians, once they had gotten out of the initial shock, turned their attention away from the Dino Squad and towards the Rock Rangers that were attacking them. Blood quickly splattered the ground. Teeth tore into flesh. Roars raised in volume, mixing in with one another. The alimons became blurs of color as they attacked each other. Some alimons fell down, unconscious or dead. Others continued to hold their ground despite what wounds they may have and bit into their hated enemies.

Max shook his head as he looked out at the battle before him. He noticed a familiar gray alimon approaching him. He lowered his head. 'Stone! Where are the other members of my team?' He couldn't see them anywhere. He thought they would be here by now.

"They are safe, waiting outside for us." Stone said.

Max was confused. 'Waiting?'

Stone nodded. "Yes." He turned his head towards where Oscura, Kista, and Peter were. "We can't waste much time. We have to get them to safety and treat their wounds."

Max nodded his head. 'I understand.'

Stone narrowed his eyes. "Now go quickly! Get your other two friends and get them out! Don't worry about these three. I'll have them escorted out. Meet me outside!" As Max turned to leave, Stone quickly turned his head. Behind them, his two sons, Cobalt and Emerald, were approaching him, along with their friend, Fluke. "You three, take those three out of this building and to the Dino Squad's lighthouse!"

Emerald nodded. "Okay, dad!" He and the other three approached the injured humans. He walked up beside the male one, lowering his body. "Get on!"

Peter glared at the alimon. "How can I trust you..?"

Kista glanced over at him. "He is offering to help you. The least you can do is accept it." Fluke approached her and lowered himself. Though it was a struggle, Kista managed to get on Fluke's back. She held onto him as tightly as she could.

Peter growled. He didn't like the idea of getting on this creature's back. But he didn't have much of a choice. It was either this or risk getting killed. "Okay fine." He climbed onto Emerald's back.

Oscura didn't hesitate to get on Cobalt's back. She had seen the way Tanner had risked his life to help her, as well as Kista and Peter. She understood that these particular alimons are more interested in forming an alliance than try to hurt them. Usually, she wouldn't accept help and she was still tempted to attack Cobalt while he wasn't looking. But she stifled herself, knowing that a far worse fate awaited her if she did that.

Emerald looked back at the other two. "Everyone ready?" The others nodded. He looked up and saw Max quickly running away towards the large opening. Buzz flew out from behind, heading in the same direction. Michelle arrived as well, but she stopped and looked back at him.

'Stone is waiting for us outside.' She said.

"I know. We were just leaving." Emerald replied. Sucking in a deep breath, he shouted, "Everyone retreat!"

The Rock Rangers that were fighting immediately stopped, even Tanner who was still itching to tear up more Darkarian flesh. The Rock Rangers, along with the survivors and the Dino Squad, fled out of the room. The Darkarians ran close behind them, snapping their jaws. They were trying their best to ensure that the group didn't make it out of the building alive. But they weren't fast enough and soon the Rock Rangers and their new allies had ran out of the building.

The Darkarians hissed, annoyed by this turn of events. Some started to head out of the room to give chase, but a loud roar stopped them. The Darkarians adopted a submissive pose as one of their leaders, a black alimon with fire-orange stripes, approached them. The Darkarians moved out of the way as the black alimon, along with Blizzard who followed close behind, approached the opening. The two males stared out of the opening, their eyes narrowed as they watched their enemies flee from Raptor Dyne.

The black alimon turned his head towards Blizzard. "Shall we pursue them?" He turned his head away and looked back out. "I really want to get my claws into those fools!"

Blizzard paused, thinking for a moment. But he quickly shook his head. "No, Fire... Let them go." He laughed darkly for a few seconds. He lifted his head up, feeling proud of himself and what he had accomplished. "We already got what we came here for...Raptor Dyne is now under our control!"


	26. Hidden Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Peter grumbled softly. This wasn't what he had intended to happen. He had hoped he would drive away the alimons from Raptor Dyne. His apatosaurus form should have overwhelmed him. But there were too many of them. They were more powerful than he had anticipated. And now he sat in the lighthouse of his boss's worst enemy, the Dino Squad. He watched in great contempt as Crescent dresses his wound. When she was finished, he didn't bother saying thank you.

Crescent ignored his rudeness and moved onto the next patient, Kista. Of the trio, she had been the most cooperative. She guessed it was because she could see that accepting help from them was the best thing she could do. She wished Peter would take some advice from her. She looked at Kista's wounds and shook her head. Like with Peter, she had suffered a broken limb that would take weeks to heal. She grabbed a cloth and rubbed part of it in aloe cream before pressing it against a wound.

Kista hissed in pain, but she managed to stand still. Crescent proceeded to tie the cloth tightly, securing it to her arm. She continued to work on the more minor injuries until they were all bandaged up. The most difficult task was the leg. She had a very hard time with Peter on this. She hoped Kista would be more cooperative on this. She looked at the leg, holding it with one hand. She located a place where the skin was really dark from bruising. She took a finger and gingerly pressed it on the injury. Kista yelped and pulled her leg away.

Having identified the location, Crescent grabbed two stiff pieces of flat wood. She pressed them against the leg, one on either side. She took thick rope and tied the flat wood pieces there. She took surgical tape and wrapped it around as well. It wasn't the best kind of cast she could do, but it would have to do. It should be strong enough to hold her leg bones together as they healed. The woman just needed to remain seated most of the time and not try anything rash.

She looked over at Peter. She didn't think she'd get the same cooperation from him. She had to put a cast on him, much like Kista. Already he was glaring at it, apparently wanting it off. She then looked over at Oscura. She had been only slightly more cooperative than Peter. She seemed calmer now than she was before, though. She wasn't as badly injured as Peter and Kista were. After she was taken care of, she went off into a corner on her own, leaning against the wall as she waited for her stepmother and Peter to be taken care of.

As Crescent tended to Kista, Stone was standing with Moynihan in another part of the room. They were all currently in the basement area where Moynihan would usually do some of her training. The Dino Squad's wounds were already taken care of. The bandaged team was sitting down on the long table, talking amongst themselves. Cobalt, Emerald, and Fluke were standing near the entrance, keeping a look out. Stone and Moynihan stood closer to a corner of the room and watched the activity going on.

Moynihan thought about what had happened today. Even though it went against her better judgment, she couldn't help but feel worried for Veloci. Under normal circumstances, she would only be concerned of what he was up to. He had gone quiet before, secretly planning something. But he had just been attacked by a large group of alimons and possibly killed. Despite all he had done, to her, the Dino Squad, and the human race, she wasn't sure if she would be thrilled at the thought of him being dead.

She wondered what was going to happen now that Raptor Dyne had been conquered. This was what Stone had warned her against. The alimon leader had hoped to prevent this from happening. But they all had acted too late and now Raptor Dyne belongs to the Darkarians. With access to all that equipment, she couldn't imagine what they would be capable of. And who knows what else they could do? Who knows what kind of experiments they could perform?

Stone narrowed his eyes. He could sense Moynihan's concern. They had been friends for so long, he could tell when something was troubling her. He did feel some pang of guilt of not telling her truth sooner. But he did feel comfortable knowing that she understood why he had never told her. He hoped he never would have to tell her, though. He hated revealing his alimon identity for fear of what kind of reaction he might get from it.

"So where do we go from here?" Moynihan asked. This wasn't a question she'd normally ask. Usually, she'd have an idea of what to do. But on occasion, she herself wouldn't know what to do. And this was one of those occasions.

Stone sighed, closing his eyes. "I really don't know. We had hoped to stop the Darkarians before they took Raptor Dyne. Now that they have it..."

"..they have access to the equipment Veloci had." Moynihan said. "Do the Darkarians experiment?"

"...sometimes." Stone said. "Most are more interested in direct results. That is why Blizzard leads them. He thinks more rationally than most of the Darkarians. Without him, the Darkarians would become disorganized, fighting amongst each other on what to do next." He turned his head up towards the ceiling. "But he's also one of the most able of the bunch. He is among the hardest to kill. Believe me, I tried..."

Moynihan nodded her head. "What do you suggest we do now that the Darkarians have Raptor Dyne?"

Stone was quiet for a moment. He replied solemnly, "Prepare for another attack. They will strike the lighthouse next. This lighthouse is the only thing left standing in the way of their plans. Once they get the lighthouse out of the picture, it'll be nearly impossible to stop them."

Moynihan's eyes widened at this. "Oh my..."

Stone nodded in agreement. "Yeah...my thoughts exactly, Ms. Moynihan. My thoughts exactly..."

"I hate this..." Caruso muttered under his breath. His narrowed eyes were focused on Peter, Kista, and Oscura. He didn't like the idea of letting their enemies inside their lighthouse. "I can't believe Moynihan agreed to let them inside. They could turn on us at any moment!"

"In their current state?" Max said, noting the injuries all three of them had suffered. "I highly doubt it. Besides, Stone did say that he would make sure they didn't cause any trouble, didn't he?"

Caruso growled softly. "Well I still don't like it. You can't trust anyone who works for Veloci."

"You mean like me?" Michelle said, interjecting.

Caruso looked over at her. "Well I...I didn't mean it like that..." He stammered, unable to come up with a good response.

"I used to work for Veloci, don't forget. I had worked alongside them before." She pointed over at the trio. "They won't try anything, especially with broken limbs. And Oscura...well leave her to me. I can handle her."

"I sure hope you can." Buzz commented. "I wouldn't want her biting me again."

"Yeah. I wonder what Stone does to prevent that from happening." Terri said.

"He can't possibly keep an eye on her at all times." Rodger said.

"Well there's also Emerald, Fluke, Cobalt, and Crescent." Max pointed out, gesturing to the other alimons in the building. "I think they could easily handle her if Stone isn't able to do anything. Besides, we shouldn't be worrying so much about them. Let's not forget we have a bigger enemy right now."

"Yeah, we know." Caruso said. "The Darkarians, who had taken over Raptor Dyne, are our present concern. I still find it hard to believe they took over that place so easily."

"I agree." Michelle said. "The place is usually so well armed. Whatever the Darkarians did to secure victory, it was really effective."

Talking of Raptor Dyne's fall didn't thrill many of the Dino Squad members as much as they thought it would. Raptor Dyne was the biggest threat to both humanity and the balance of nature. They thought that, with it out of the way regardless of how it was accomplished, it would make them feel better knowing that they wouldn't hurt anyone or anything anymore. They could still remember vividly all the animals, and on occasion humans, were hurt with Veloci's dangerous goals for dinosaur domination.

But instead, the loss of Raptor Dyne, thanks to Stone's warnings, had made them all uneasy. They were filled with anxiety and uncertainty. What happens now that Raptor Dyne had been conquered? They didn't know what the Darkarians may be capable of now that they have access to all of Veloci's stuff. They could conduct experiments, perhaps even more efficient ones, and create their own army of mutantsaurs. They could use Veloci's satellite equipment to track them down. And they could use Veloci's more dangerous weapons and vehicles to wipe them out.

Despite Stone's assurance that the Darkarians aren't likely to use weapons or experiment that often, preferring to use their own physical abilities and skills they already have, they couldn't help but still remain worried. The cleararmor that they had used in Raptor Dyne was a prevalent concern of theirs. The armor itself wasn't that much protection. Its strength comes from the fact it was hard to see. They could line it with poison and when they tried to bite, they could be poisoned.

"I don't feel we should give up hope yet." Michelle said. "You guys beat Raptor Dyne against the odds before, remember?"

"Yes, but we were better off then." Rodger said. "We knew the enemy better.

"Not just that..." Fiona said. "We also didn't have to worry about as many individuals. Veloci's men weren't really that strong and, let's face it, they were only human." She looked over at Michelle, then glanced at the trio still being treated by Crescent. "Well most of them anyway."

"Yeah." Rodger said, nodding his head. "But the Darkarians...they're different. Just one Darkarian could take on all of us."

"For now you mean. Don't forget Donovan is supposed to be training us soon." Max said. He looked around to try to find him, but he didn't seem to be anywhere. "Speaking of which, where did he go?"

"Stone said that Donovan left to go back to the Rock Ranger pack to give them some orders." Terri explained.

"Oh really?" Max asked. "Did he say when Donovan would be back?"

Terri shook her head. "He didn't tell me. He just said it would take a while."

"I see." Max said. He wasn't sure what to think of this. He was a little surprised Stone didn't give an estimate time, but he shrugged it off. Most likely, Stone didn't think they would have wanted to know how long it was going to take.

They paused when they heard footsteps coming towards them. They looked over and saw Moynihan and Stone approaching them. They stopped beside the table, but didn't bother sitting down. The team grew quiet, waiting for the two to say something. But both Stone and Moynihan were quiet. Either they weren't sure what to say or they were contemplating something important in their minds.

Eventually, Moynihan decided to speak. "Stone has made an...interesting suggestion."

"Oh?" Max asked.

"What kind of suggestion?" Caruso said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Before you kids overreact to this suggestion..." Moynihan said, her voice becoming more stern. "...realize this is not to be in effect just yet, but later, and it will only be temporary. It's a strategy that he has used in the past that had been effective. Though I don't know for sure how well this would work for you..." Moynihan looked over at Stone. "...I trust his judgment."

The Dino Squad looked over at Stone. Stone could almost feel their eyes boring into him as they awaited his idea. "The idea is to split everyone up into small groups." He said, his eyes narrowed slightly. "The strategy here is to disperse our power so the Darkarians don't have a single target, but multiple. This strategy is to allow us to get closer. A smaller group isn't likely to attract attention. Once we are close enough to the Darkarian's hideout, we'll recombine and attack."

Some of the teenagers did like this strategy. Rodger himself was going to suggest such an idea, but felt relieved that he wasn't the only one thinking it. He was worried about what the others would believe. Other members, such as Buzz, also agreed, though to a slightly lesser degree. They weren't sure if it was wise to spread their power out too much. The Darkarians could still slaughter them. If their groups are too small, then by the time any one group would get to the hideout, they might be the only group still standing. It would take a lot of training before they would be ready to operate in small groups effectively.

But other members, like Max, disagreed with this strategy. It was too risky, especially now. They were all still recovering from their injuries, which could take weeks unless something was done to speed up recovery. There was strength in numbers and this was something Max and others strongly agreed with. The Darkarians are less likely to wipe out one big group than they are smaller, more numerous groups. Usually Max would agree with Moynihan, but on occasion, he would disagree with her.

"I don't know if this is a good idea." Max spoke up.

"Stone knows what he's doing." Moynihan explained calmly. "The idea sounds strange and I knew that some of you wouldn't like it. But with Raptor Dyne, a huge corporate building, already taken over, and with so little knowledge of our new enemy, I think we should take his advice."

"But Ms. Moynihan..." Max said. He didn't want her to make a huge mistake. He didn't want to risk losing any of his friends. "What about the devastation that they are capable of? What if they attack our small groups and dispatch us? With so little numbers, it would be easy for them to do that."

Moynihan shook her head. "A smaller group would be harder to find and easier to hide. And you wouldn't be alone. Stone says he'll have some Rock Ranger alimons within each group."

Max did feel a little better knowing this. But he was still opposed to the idea. He felt it was just too risky. And he wasn't the only one. He could see in the corner of his eye Terri leaning forward, her eyebrows furrowed. She said, "I have to agree with Max. Splitting us up seems...counterintiutive."

Stone nodded his head. "Yes, I understand it seems like that. But hear me out. I have used that strategy before, twice actually. And it worked better than any other strategy I had tried."

"Well that's because your pack is trained to fight against the Darkarians. You know how to handle them." Terri said, pointing her finger at Stone. "But we don't."

Stone narrowed his eyes. "Did you forget that you'll be receiving training?"

"It may not be enough! You've had years of experience. How can we compare?" Terri asked.

"I think you guys are being too negative on this." Buzz said. "I'm not saying there isn't any risks involved, but I don't think it'll be that bad. We might stand a chance."

"Might isn't the same as will." Max interjected. "Remember that."

Buzz narrowed his eyes at Max. "I'm surprised that you are so pessimistic about this. You're almost never pessimistic."

Max sighed softly. He hoped there wouldn't be any kind of debate on this. He hoped that he would convince Moynihan and Stone the idea was too risky and have them abandon it in favor of sticking together. He was surprised that anyone on his team was in favor of it. He thought that, after what they had been through, they would want to stick together. He wanted to say something, but nothing was coming to mind.

Caruso spoke up. "I'm afraid I have to be pessimistic about this idea too. Max has brought up many good points against it. I don't really have anything to add, though, not without repeating what he has said already. I say we just come up with some other idea."

"But Stone has..." Moynihan started to say.

Caruso interrupted her. "Look, Ms. Moynihan...I don't care if he's a long-time friend of yours and I certainly don't care if you trust his opinion. My opinion still stands. I don't think his idea is all that great."

Moynihan's eyes slowly narrowed. Caruso looked a little surprised at this. "So are you saying his opinion is worthless? Are you saying that we shouldn't accept his help?"

"Now.." Caruso said, raising his hands in self-defense. "..I didn't say that. I'm just saying that I think we should think this through. This is a big strategy chance and we had never done it before. It may have worked for them, but how do we know it'll work for us?"

"Stone is no fool." Moynihan said, her voice somewhat growly. This surprised even Stone, who had rarely heard her this angry before. "And if you think he is..."

"No! Of course not!" Caruso said, trying to find some way to calm down the old woman. "I just..." He couldn't think of a response.

"He is just saying that he disagrees with Stone's idea." Max said. He didn't know why she was reacting like this. "It wasn't an insult."

Moynihan's eyes seemed to almost glow. This alarmed the Dino Squad and they instinctively moved back, except for Max who could only stare in shock as she approached him. "Stone is an excellent strategist." She gripped Max's shoulders. "If you think otherwise..." She started to squeeze the boy's shoulders tightly. "...you will have to answer to me."

Shocked by her behavior, Stone moved in and grabbed Moynihan. "Stop it!" He said as he pulled her away from the jock. "What are you doing?"

Moynihan snapped out of it. "I..I don't know. I just suddenly felt...very angry." She looked over at Max. She bit her lip as she saw his worried and somewhat scared expression. She remembered the last time she lost control. To think she almost lost control again, it was unsettling for her. "What could be happening to me?"

Stone took a step forward. "I understand this has happened before, correct?"

Moynihan nodded. She didn't feel very good about it. "The last time this has happened, I was..reverting back to a velociraptor state."

"It was terrifying..." Fiona said. She rubbed her neck where Moynihan had bitten her.

"She was like this, but worse. She was craving meat and stalking students." Max explained.

"And she was unpredictable." Rodger said. "We never knew when she was going to snap."

"And you all blamed me for that." Michelle said. Her eyes were furrowed and she folded her arms. She looked over at Rodger and Buzz. "Especially you two." The two boys looked ashamed of what they had done. "I take it you don't think I did it this time, do you?"

"No." Rodger said. "We don't."

"It couldn't have been Veloci." Buzz said, turning his attention to Stone. "He hadn't gotten close enough to Moynihan long enough to infect her again."

Stone thought about this. He didn't want to alarm the team, but he had a good idea of what was going on with Moynihan. He didn't want to bring it up now, not with other crucial things to take care of first. He hoped he would never need to talk to them about it. It was something that would be difficult to treat and even more dangerous than Moynihan simply going rogue. For now, he would have to hide the truth from the Dino Squad and Moynihan. He hoped she would trust him enough to understand why he lied if he had to reveal the truth later on.

"I will look into this matter later." He said, interlocking his fingers together. "First, we should discuss my plan more thoroughly. Now's a better time than any to talk about this, now that you and them..." He gestured towards the survivors from Raptor Dyne. "..are together in one room. Now listen to me closely. It is important you hear every detail..."

___

It took Donovan longer than he had hoped, but he arrived at where the other Rock Rangers were waiting for him. Like the Darkarians as he was certain, he was in another network of caves. There were multiple tunnels, some of them duds in an attempt to fool the enemy in case one were to invade it. If that wasn't enough, there were multiple guards patrolling the more important tunnels. Some of them nodded in respect to Donovan as he passed them.

It didn't take him long to reach the room he wanted. It wasn't very large, but it suited its purposes just fine. Inside would usually sit other Rock Rangers in order to discuss important matters. Unlike the Darkarians, there was no need for a high rank. Everyone's input was considered. But due to the small size of the room, only a handful of individuals could go in. In cases where almost everyone had a say, the larger room would be used, but Stone wasn't around. This small room would have to do.

There were a couple individuals in the room already, discussing some trivial matter regarding guard shifts and food rations. The pair of alimons were Lorenzo, a male, and Matyr, a female. The pair stopped their talking and looked over at Donovan as he approached them. They lowered their heads in respect. Donovan was highly regarded amongst the Rock Rangers and many both feared and respected him. He took a place next to the two, his blue eyes glaring at them.

"Where...where is Stone?" Lorenzo asked, keeping his head low.

"He is out with the Dino Squad. But that isn't of your concern now." Donovan said. "We have important things to discuss." He took a moment to sit down on his haunches before continuing. "As you might have heard from some alimons returning, we have failed to protect Raptor Dyne from the Darkarians. That place has been taken under, unfortunately, and Dr. Veloci is..."

"Dead?" Lorenzo asked. "That's what one of the soldiers said upon returning anyway."

Donovan said, "Missing is the term I would use. We have yet to find a body."

"But didn't one of them say a Darkarian said Veloci was killed?" Matyr said, her head turned towards the yellow alimon.

Lorenzo nodded. "That's what I heard."

"And you should also know that a Darkarian can't be trusted." Donovan said, his deep voice growling softly. "While I wouldn't put it past them to take a life, Veloci may be too valuable to them for a time to kill off. I suspect he's still alive somewhere. Yet I can't be certain until I see it for myself."

It was true. He would need to find a way to locate Veloci. But he had no idea where he would be, or if he was even still alive. Despite what he said to these two alimons, a part of him was nagging at him, telling him that Veloci wouldn't possibly be alive. While at Raptor Dyne, he didn't see the guy anywhere, except for some of his scent and blood, yet, disappointingly, neither helped him locate Veloci. It was almost as if he had vanished into thin air.

The only one who would know where Veloci was now was the one who had attacked him, Blizzard. But he wasn't the kind to just spill out information. He knew how Blizzard could be. He would find ways to avoid answering the question directly. It would be difficult to get any information from him. He'd only divulge such information to another Darkarian, but even that was still unlikely. Blizzard did enjoy his privacy and if anyone wanted to get information from him that he didn't want to reveal, he would refuse to say anything, regardless of who it was.

He spoke to Lorenzo and Matyr about what had happened, the current state they were in, the Dino Squad's recovery and future training, among other things. The two didn't say anything. Instead, they just nodded in silent understanding. Once Donovan was finished speaking about that, he moved onto another matter, still relating to the Dino Squad and the Darkarians. Now that Raptor Dyne was conquered, they would need to find some way to reclaim it back to Dr. Veloci, if he was still alive anyway. Donovan did think that, if Veloci was truly dead, Peter would make a good replacement, seeing how highly ranked he was with Veloci.

"How could we reclaim Raptor Dyne?" Lorenzo asked, running a paw through his feathers. "Well I know we are Rock Rangers and everything, and that we can take the Darkarians in a fight. But we are trying to keep a low profile, are we not?"

"Yeah. The fight would draw too much attention to us." Matyr pointed out.

Donovan knew they were correct on this. It would be difficult to hide the attack. The Darkarians aren't as cautious as they are, though. He is certain that some humans had heard the commotion and saw the attack themselves, and surely some members of Raptor Dyne had escaped alive. No one would believe them, though, and with the Darkarians' ability to take on human forms, it would be difficult to prove. It was true many of the Rock Rangers had this same ability, himself included, but it was too risky. He didn't want any of his pack members to be captured and experimented on by human scientists.

"We would need to find a way to take it back from the inside." Donovan said, raising his head up slightly. He looked at Lorenzo and Matyr, his eyes narrowed. "But to do that would be difficult. I reckon Blizzard isn't going to put all his force at Raptor Dyne. Some would still be stationed at their old hideout. If something went amiss at one place, he could call in for reinforcements form the other."

Matyr nodded at this. "Quite true. It would be difficult to recapture Raptor Dyne unless both were busy with their own problems. But to do that, we would need to split up."

"Yes." Donovan nodded his head. "This is what Stone had in mind. He wanted to split the Dino Squad up into smaller groups and regroup at the hideout." He paused for a moment, realizing a flaw in his plan. Stone had clearly forgotten about the reinforcements bit. He had failed to take into account that there were now two strongholds of Darkarians. "I will have to speak to Stone about this."

Lorenzo scratched his chin thoughtfully. Thoughts were running through his mind and he tried his best to sort them out. "Maybe you could do two groups instead of multiple? One group could go for Raptor Dyne while the other the Darkarians' hideout. That way, they can't possibly warn each other; they'd be too busy with their own problems. I doubt Blizzard would be able to do anything to stop that." Lorenzo was about to continue, but Donovan waved his paw at him to stop speaking. He immediately shut his mouth.

"No, no. That won't work. The groups would still be too big. They would be detected faster than smaller groups and attacked. Even if they survive the encounter, the Darkarians would be on to them now and increase security." Donovan said. "No, we need some other way to..." Then an idea popped into his mind. A small smile spread across his face.

"What are you thinking?" Lorenzo said.

"You've got that look in your eye." Matyr commented, lowering her head slightly.

Donovan's feathers raised up slightly. He moved in closer to Lorenzo and Matyr. "I've got an idea. Here's how the plan will pave out..."


	27. Not Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Gris chomped down on the bone. He licked around it and sucked on it, trying to get the juice and the marrow out of it. His teeth clanked against the bone, which started to bend from the force of his jaws clamping down on it. Next to him were the remains of a recent human he had slaughtered, partly to cover his tracks and partly for his amusement. The clothing of his victim was torn and tattered all over the place. The bones had been stripped clean of any meat save for a few tiny pieces clinging tightly to the bone.

Next to him was Violet. She had been quiet for the past several minutes, listening to Gris chomping on the piece of bone. She had done her best to tolerate it, keeping her head turned away. But Gris had been so loud with chomping and sucking the bone that she couldn't help but stare back over at him, an annoyed expression on her face. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She got up from the ground and stalked towards him, her feathery mane raised slightly in agitation.

"Will you knock it off?! I'm getting sick of your sloppy eating!" She hissed at him.

Gris just stared at her. He knew it took a lot for Violet to react angrily towards anything, but he didn't really care how he reacted towards her. She couldn't force him to do anything even if she did try. He just smirked at her, holding the bone between two claws. "Don't tell me it's bothering you that much. You hear it all the time anytime we eat together."

"Yeah, but most of the other Darkarians stop when they are finished." Violet said. "Oh, but not you. No, instead, you continue sucking and sucking on the same bone for hours, even after there couldn't possibly be anything left on it!"

Gris just shrugged his shoulders. "Okay fine." He tossed the bone. It struck Violet in the face. She hissed loudly and raised her paw. "What a temper you have." He chuckled. "Unless you don't mind ruining our plans, I suggest you lower that paw of yours. We have more important things to do anyway."

Violet glared at him, but lowered her paw anyway. "Yes, I'm aware of what Blizzard had in mind. I still don't see why he put you in charge of watching this old place anyway." Violet looked around the room. It did feel empty now that half the Darkarians were moved over to Raptor Dyne. She kind of missed the crowded feeling, but no matter. She would get used to this sooner or later.

"It's really an easy thing to understand, Violet." Gris said. He stood up, raising his long feathers proudly. "My father is Rorra and my grandfather is Fire. I have their blood coursing through me. So I was the obvious choice!"

"Uh huh..." Violet said, rolling her eyes. She didn't want to continue talking about this. She knew how much of an ego Gris could get, especially when it came to his familial relationship with Rorra and Fire. Of course, egos were a common trait among Darkarians, along with aggression. Something else came to her mind. "It's still hard to believe I admit..."

He whipped his head around, looking surprised. "What? Me being Rorra's son?"

"No, not that. The Dino Squad." Violet turned her head towards him. Her eyes were still narrowed, but they held less anger and more confusion. "How could a couple of untrained amateurs take down a Darkarian? It doesn't make any sense."

Gris paused for a moment to think. "Oh, that Staka girl? Yeah, that was a bit surprising."

"Perhaps we should have targeted the Dino Squad first. If they could manage to kill one of us, they could kill more of us." Violet said, her voice lowering slightly. She hadn't heard if there were any deaths of Darkarians in Raptor Dyne, but until she heard other wise, she was going to assume no.

The gray alimon simply shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore. The plan is already in motion. The Dino Squad's time will come, I can assure you that." He walked over to Violet. "But don't take the fact they killed Staka too much to heart." He put his face close to hers. "Compared to most of us, she was a weakling."

"How dare you!"

Gris felt himself being slammed into the ground with great force. He thought, at first, it was Violet. He turned his head to snap at her, but he saw that she was a few feet away. Her usually calm expression now had a dropped jaw and widened eyes. Hearing growling above him, he looked up and saw a light blue female alimon looming over him. Her teeth were exposed and her head was very close to his. Like all Darkarians, he knew everyone by name, though he wasn't personality acquainted with all of them.

This particular female was Ysengrim. She reminded him of Violet if she were more emotional and violent, though not to the same degree as Axel. Ysengrim wasn't one of the strongest females, but she was one of the smartest. She would use her smarts in battle whenever she could. She was also close friends of Staka, having known her since they were little ones. Gris knew that talking down about Staka was a mistake around this light blue female. But he cared little about what she felt and thought.

"Get off of me, you mammal!" Gris snapped at her.

Ysengrim's eyes widened slightly at this horrid insult. But she didn't move an inch. "No. Not until you take back what you said."

Gris smirked. "Why should I? I'm in charge, remember?"

Ysengrim smiled back at him. "Ah but with no leader, who will lead us?" She placed her paw on Gris's throat, her claws pressed against the skin.

Gris's eyes widened at this. "You can't kill me! You'll be killed for treason!"

"Only if they find out." Ysengrim said, a smile spreading across her jaws. "Don't think I don't have this all figured out, Gris. I know how to play the leaders into thinking a Rock Ranger killed you. They'll never know I did it." Gris growled at this. "Take back what you said about Staka!"

"Why do you care anyway?" He knew this was a stupid question. He was just trying to delay her long enough so he could find a way to escape.

Ysengrim snapped her head back, teeth bared. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Gris couldn't possibly have forgotten already, could he? Then again, she wouldn't put it past him. "You know how much she meant to me, how much I cared about her. And those stupid teenagers killed her!" Not bothering to wait for Gris, she lifted him up and tossed him away. "You're so insensitive!"

"Hey, I'm not the only one." Gris said, climbing back to his feet. "If you want sympathy for your feelings, go to the Rock Rangers!"

Ysengrim growled at him. "I'd never go to them!"

"Then quick your complaining." Gris said. "Your friend is dead. Get used to it..."

"You inconsiderate jerk!" Ysengrim dashed towards the gray alimon. Violet stepped in quickly, jumping in front of her path. Ysengrim stopped in her tracks, staring at the purple alimon in surprise. Panting heavily, she said, "Get out of my way! Don't make me attack you too!"

Violet just glared at her. She never liked Ysengrim that much, but she did not waste her time fighting with her. She said, "Enough of this, Ysengrim. Gris is the leader of this section now. And as much as I hate to admit it, we must be subordinate to him." Gris offered an arrogant smile. "Unless you want to get kicked out of the pack, I suggest you stifle yourself."

Ysengrim growled in response to this. She didn't want to obey Gris. She hated him. He was one of the most selfish alimons she knew. She couldn't believe that he would ever be chosen to lead anything. He was so young and so arrogant. He had almost no experience as a leader. She wondered to herself what things will be like with him as leader. She didn't get very pretty images in her mind. She wished she could just take him out of power and find someone else to lead. There were other alimons she knew that she felt would make better leaders than Gris.

Still, she didn't wish to aggravate Violet further. She gave Gris another glare before nodding towards Violet. "Very well then. But if he does so much as make another remark regarding Staka..." Her eyes gained a bit of a glow to them. "..I can't promise you anything."

Violet sighed. This was the best she was going to get out of Ysengrim. And it didn't surprise her. She had been particularly close to Staka, closer than she had been with anyone. Her death had shaken her badly and she denied it until she saw the body for herself. She very deeply wanted revenge against the Dino Squad for what had happened, but Blizzard had forbade her to. The matter was too personal and he said that her anger would cloud her judgment and make it easier for her to get killed. Ysengrim didn't care of course, but she hadn't attempted pursuit of the Dino Squad, at least not yet.

"Okay then." Violet said. That was all she had to say on this matter. She turned her attention to Gris. "Don't you think we should prepare to assign alimons to their new posts? We're going to need more alimons on duty now that half our pack is stationed elsewhere."

Gris didn't look too worried. He lazily chewed on another bone. "I'll take care of it later."

"But Gris..." Violet started to say.

"It'll be fine. The Dino Squad will be more focused on getting Raptor Dyne back." Gris said. "So just relax."

Violet shook her head. She hoped Gris will make a better leader than this. While she did agree that the Dino Squad, as well as the Rock Rangers, would want to get Raptor Dyne back, she refused to believe they would overlook this place as well. She didn't want them to be left off guard and attacked without being able to prepare first. She wished Paradox would understand this. When the time comes and if he is proven wrong, she will have to remind him of how it didn't have to end up that way.

___

It had been only 24 hours since Raptor Dyne had been seized by the Darkarians. A single day, and already the place was looking much cleaner than before. Blizzard had ordered the others to clean up the best they could. He didn't want the media to get a chance to report what had happened at Raptor Dyne. He knew this would be bad news for them all. They didn't want the humans discovering what Raptor Dyne had to offer. He didn't want to have to worry about more obstacles to take care of in his quest.

The bodies had been moved. This task wasn't one of the hardest, but it was tedious work. There were countless bodies strewn all over the place. Darkarians patrolled the building, grabbing any body they could find, and carrying it down to the lower level laboratory, which was hidden from public access. After the bodies were removed, other Darkarians came in, disguised as humans, and cleaned up all the blood that had stained the hallways. Air fresheners and odor removals were used to destroy the strong scent of death that had plagued the hallways of Raptor Dyne for hours.

Anything that had been broken, ripped up, or knocked down was replaced. This was the hardest task of all as it required more labor than moving bodies around. They either had to go out and buy what they needed as a replacement or they had to fix it themselves. It took longer than even Blizzard had hoped for, but they managed to finish. Once everything was fixed, including any smashed windows or broken doors, Raptor Dyne looked like nothing had happened to it. Blizzard was pleased. This would be enough to convince any human to think nothing happened at all, at least for a while. They would surely notice any missing humans, and he was already thinking of a coverup for that as well.

The bodies that had been moved were piled up in a corner of the laboratory. The scent grew strong in the lab, which didn't bother too many Darkarians. But some were driven mad by the smell. Being carnivores, it was instinctual for them to eat meat they find, even if it's been laying around for hours. Blizzard, at first, didn't want them to eat any of the bodies. He wanted them around for identification in case they needed it. But he eventually caved in to their requests, but only after they documented everything they could about each human, including their names and pictures. After that was done, many Darkarians started to eat the bodies. It didn't take long before the corpses were reduced to a pile of shattered bones and left over cartilage pieces.

Blizzard wasn't entirely sure how many humans were killed. So far, the only survivors of Raptor Dyne he knew of were Peter, Oscura, and Kista. There was a chance that Zoom and O'Ryan had escaped as well, but until he could find them, he wasn't going to make any guesses. While he had hoped to leave no witnesses behind, he didn't care if a few survivors made it out. No one would believe them. Even if they were to go out telling someone now and bringing in the police, he had made sure the place was so well clean that the humans wouldn't be able to find anything so easily. He was confident that these survivors would not be able to do anything to ruin his plans.

Blizzard, in human form, was sitting in Veloci's dinosaur chair. He liked how it felt. No wonder Dr. Veloci always liked to sit in it. He stroked the sides of the chair, feeling the sharp teeth structures raising out of it. He looked up overhead, noting the top teeth that extended downward and the roof of the mouth that he knew was part of the top skull. He had always been impressed by this chair and now he claimed it as his own. It could use a few improvements, but he'll worry about that later.

"E-Excuse me, sir..."

Blizzard swiveled his chair around. Standing a few feet away from him was a young woman. She was about Axel's height, though slightly shorter. She had long, slightly curly blonde hair. She wore a gold button-up shirt with very short sleeves with darker gold jeans that stopped just above her ankles. Her sleeves and her shoes were red. Blizzard knew her has Tana, Axel's younger sister. The two were so different in personality that he hardly believed they were related. He was only convinced by a DNA test that confirmed they were indeed siblings.

"Ah, Tana." He said. "What did you come to me for? Do you have something to report?"

"Well...Axel said I should do something to help you, so she.." Tana started to say.

He raised his hand. "No need to continue. You want to be assigned a chore, don't you?" Tana was silent, but she nodded her head. "I've got just the thing." He turned around and grabbed something from behind himself. It was a large piece of limb that had come from one of the Raptor Dyne victims. He tossed it to her and she caught it. "You know where to take that."

Tana nodded her head. "Yes, sir. I'll get right on it." With that, she turned around and started to walk away.

Blizzard watched her walk away. He then turned away and looked up at the monitors. He had no plans in using them just yet. He already knew where the lighthouse was. He did need to learn the location of the Rock Rangers' hideout however. He had tried to in the past, but it always failed. He used to know, but that was before Stone had relocated the pack. It was frustrating, but he was patient. He had all the time in the world to figure out where they were hiding.

As he stared at the monitor, he heard footsteps. Someone else was approaching. He turned his head slightly. He could see Stormwhite coming in. Walking next to him was Axel. He was a little surprised to see them together. Normally they hated each other and would avoid each other whenever possible. He didn't dwell on that for much longer. He turned the chair again so he could face them. The two were in human form like he was. When they had gotten close enough, they both bowed down in respect for him. Blizzard smirked down at him. They remained like this for a few seconds. Then they got up off the ground, brushing themselves off due to dust clinging to their pant legs. Once they were done, Axel was the first to speak, taking a step forward.

"Stormwhite and I checked on the ooze Dr. Veloci had left behind for us." She said, smirking evilly. "I am happy to report that there is plenty for us to use for our own needs."

Stormwhite rolled his eyes. "Not that we'll be needing it. We've done well enough without it."

Axel glared at him. Stormwhite had always been so unimaginative. He couldn't see the true potential that was now laid out before them. "Don't you see it, though, Stormwhite? We could create mutantsaurs to do what we want! The Rock Rangers and the Dino Squad won't stand a chance! Why, with this primordial ooze at our disposal, we'll...."

"..be within radar of the Dino Squad." Stormwhite said, unimpressed. "Or have you already forgotten that?"

"Oh give me a break!" Axel hissed at him.

Blizzard watched this calmly, tapping his fingers together. He hadn't thought much of what to do with the primordial ooze. He hadn't had any initial plans for them himself, though he knew other members of the Darkarian pack did. He knew what it was capable of, however, and he did think of using it. He just hadn't had any plans on just what yet. As he let Axel and Stormwhite argue about what to do with the primordial ooze, ideas began to form in his head. One particular idea caught his attention and he chuckled.

___

It was difficult for Stone to decide how to split the Dino Squad up. He managed to do it, though it took him longer than he had hoped it would. Not all of them were thrilled with the idea, but they did accept his advice. At first, he tried to split them up based on some kind of talent or ability. That proved too difficult and he feared if he focused too much on one talent, the Darkarians could exploit that and find some way to defeat them. So instead, he just picked randomly. He hoped that it would increase the team's fighting chances against the Darkarians.

At first, he thought of splitting them up in half. There were eight members and he could easily split them up into two teams of four. He didn't count Rump. He wasn't planning on assigning that dog to any team. Fearing that he would cause more trouble, he planned on having a Rock Ranger care for Rump while the others were away. He wasn't fully satisfied with just two teams, though. Plus he still wanted to add additional alimon members. The groups would get too big if he did it like that.

Instead, he opted to break it down even further. Rather than two teams of four, he went for four teams of two. In addition to this, he would add an alimon to each group to help increase their odds, creating teams of three. That was enough for a team in his mind. This small size would be perfect for strategic placements. And they would be harder for the Darkarians to take notice to.

Stone paired up Rodger with Caruso, Fiona with Buzz, Terri with Michelle, and Max with Moynihan. He was glad to hear that there wasn't a fuss about who he chose to be paired together. He only asked that they remember who they were paired up with, a task he deemed really easy to follow. The next task was to figure out which alimon to assign to each group. He had one idea so far. He was thinking of putting Donovan in with Max and Moynihan, unless he had other ideas. He would have to speak to the other Rock Rangers and see whom he could bring with him to help the Dino Squad. He couldn't assign Emerald, Cobalt, or Fluke as they were in charge of protecting the lighthouse from Darkarian invasion.

Then a thought crossed his mind. There was something he was forgetting about. He still hadn't gotten Donovan to train them. The Dino Squad should still get trained. They did perform well at Raptor Dyne, but he was still concerned. He would have to try to find time to have them trained before he could split them up. And since time was of the essence, it couldn't be for as long as he hoped. He would need to tell Donovan to only teach them some of the important basics and that's it. Normally, he wouldn't do such a thing, but with Raptor Dyne taken, it was only a matter of time before the lighthouse would be conquered next.

"How long will the training last?" Max asked after Stone explained the situation to them.

"Only a few days." Stone replied. "I was hoping it would be at least a few weeks, but there isn't much time to spare."

"Is it really necessary, though? I mean, we did pretty well at Raptor Dyne." Max said, shrugging his shoulders. He did have some difficulty, he would admit, but it wasn't as hard as the first time he faced an alimon. "The next time we fight the Darkarians, I'm sure we'll be more than prepared for it."

Stone did admire the boy's enthusiasm. He was so full energy and confidence. He liked this about this boy. This also concerned him. He didn't want Max to potentially get arrogant. Yes, he did fight well against the Darkarians, but that was only one time he did really well. The next time, he could mess up. The Darkarians don't take defeat too well. They would do what they could in their power to make Max pay for what he had done. He would be ripped to shreds. He would need to learn to counter that.

"You still need training." Stone said sternly.

"Well all right. I'm not going to argue with you." Max said. He still didn't completely understand, but he was coming to trust Stone completely. He looked over at Moynihan. "What do you think?"

Moynihan looked over at Stone. She thought about what he had said. Personally, she was against the idea of fighting at all. She wasn't above using it if she absolutely had to. But she was more of a pacifist. She wanted peace more than she wanted to fight. She didn't like Stone's plan of attacking the Darkarians. If it were up to her, she would find more peaceful ways of dealing with them. That was how she had handled Veloci for so long and she managed to do pretty well with that. But she still understood where he was coming from. The Darkarians were worse than Dr. Veloci had ever been.

"I do agree that you kids need training. As much as I hate fighting, I feel you must be prepared for any challenges you will face when combating the Darkarians." Moynihan said, looking at the Dino Squad team members. "Don't let the fight at Raptor Dyne blind you. It was just one fight. How well do you all think you could do against the Darkarians multiple times? And in potentially larger groups?"

There was some small chatter amongst the team, but they ultimately fell silent. Not one of them could think of something to refute Moynihan's claim. It was true, they had to admit. They were lucky to have done as well as they had back there. For all they knew, those Darkarians were largely of a lower class than the others. There was still the upper class they had to worry about, and it frightened them.

After all, Veloci had been taken down by one of the highest ranking of the Darkarians, Axel. The Dino Squad had only seen Axel, though hadn't fought her yet. From what Max had seen, how Axel had attacked Crescent, he wasn't sure if he wanted to cross her path. Axel was insane, and that was the judgment he had given her based on only seeing her for a short time. She was vicious. She was cruel, She was downright evil. And she wasn't even the leader of the Darkarians. He wondered how the leader was. It felt almost unfathomable to him what his strength must be like in order to control the other members of the pack.

"We..understand." Max said, breaking the uneasy silence. Like the others, he was still coming to grips with what was just said. He had felt pretty good about himself, but the idea of it being a fluke thing had him shaken up. He wondered what would have happened if more experienced Darkarians had come and attacked them. "Let's just hope that they pick low ranking Darkarians like they had before."

"Low ranking?" Stone said, tilting his head. "No, no...well yeah some of them were, but a few were more high ranking. Haze for instance is pretty high ranking. Not as much as Axel, but he's getting up there."

Rodger said. "Really?"

Stone nodded his head. "Just don't get too cocky okay? But enough of that. More important things to discuss. Donovan should be returning soon. Once he gets back, you will all begin training. After your training is complete, you will be split up and stationed in different locations. I'll explain more when that time comes. Do you understand me?" The Dino Squad nodded their heads. "All right then."

"Just one question I have..." Fiona asked. The others looked at her. Her eyes were turned towards a window. She raised a finger and pointed outside. "..what's with that yellow and blue alimon just laying outside? Why aren't they coming in?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't call any yellow and blue alimon over." Stone said.

Buzz took a look now. "Fiona is right. There's someone outside."

Stone, frowning a little, went over to take a look. His eyes widened. "It's Ezma, my sister!" With that, he rushed outside.


	28. Had Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Before Stone could reach her, Cobalt had already reached her. The solid blue male lowered his head towards hers, gently nudging her to see if she was still alive. The yellow and blue female twitched a little, but otherwise remained still. There were some deep cuts on her back along with some smaller lacerations. In addition to that, there was some bruising on her body. Nothing seemed to be fatal unless there was an injury he was overlooking.

Cobalt had never seen his aunt in this sort of condition before. He wondered what might have happened to her. He wasn't sure if it was a Darkarian's work or not, considering how little real damage there was. Normally they were more brutal. He lifted up his head and saw his father, now in his alimon form, approaching quickly. He stepped aside so his father could examine his sister himself.

Stone nudged his sister more firmly than Cobalt did. He did this a few times until her eyes fluttered open. He smiled slightly, relieve to see that she was still alive. But his elation at her being alive didn't last very long. His happiness was replaced with concern. He laid down next to her, resting a paw on her shoulder. "Ezma..what happened to you?"

Ezma opened her mouth to speak, but she had a hard time getting words out. She lifted up her head and looked up at Stone. Again she tried to speak, but she was still having a difficult time. Stone frowned slightly at this. He then noticed that something was wrong with her jaws. They looked badly swollen and there was some blood dripping from a wound where her bottom jaw connected to the top jaw. His eyes widened at this.

He looked over at Crescent, who had emerged from the lighthouse to see what was going on. "Crescent! Get over here! Ezma needs medical assistance!"

Upon hearing this, Crescent ran over to Ezma's side. She looked at the yellow alimon with a sympathetic look. "Oh dear, I never seen jaw injuries like this before..." She lowered her head so she could get a better look. "It was almost as if someone tried to rip her lower jaw off..." When she said this, Ezma nodded her head. "And that's just what happened."

Stone was furious. He wanted to find out who did this to his sibling and make them pay. But revenge could always backfire on him. He resisted the temptation to go hunt down the alimon that did this. Right now, his sister needed help. "Do you think you can help her?"

Crescent bit her lip. "I'll try and see what I can do. But I won't make any promises."

"Is..is she going to be all right?" Fluke asked. His voice was very solemn for his personality. Even he knew when it was best not to joke around. His eyes were on Ezma's body, looking at her wounds. "She looks really bad."

Crescent took a look at the injuries on the body. "It could be she looks worse than she is, but there might be some hidden injuries. I'll have to take her into the lighthouse for a more thorough examination." She looked over at the lighthouse. The Dino Squad had remained inside. She called out to their teacher. "Moynihan! Do you have some kind of table that can be used for examinations?"

"I do, yes!" Moynihan called back out. "Bring her in while I get the table ready!"

Crescent nodded and she turned back to Ezma. She gently pushed her until she was on her stomach. She lowered herself and pushed her head underneath Ezma's stomach. She pushed herself forward, keeping her head and neck underneath her body. This allowed her to slide Ezma onto her back. Once Ezma was draped across her back, she rose back up and turned around. She walked towards the lighthouse. She didn't run otherwise Ezma would fall off of her back.

Once she had gotten into the lighthouse, she looked around for Moynihan. She quickly found her standing near a table. She frowned. It looked a little small for Ezma, but oh well. It would have to do. She walked towards the table. She could feel eyes boring into her as she moved towards the table. The Dino Squad stared intently and silently, speechless at the sight. Not liking to be stared at, Crescent couldn't help but grumble softly. She moved at a slightly faster pace and when she reached the table, she stopped.

Emerald and Stone moved in from behind. They stood on either side of her and Ezma. They reared up on their hind legs. Emerald grabbed Ezma's tail and Stone grabbed her head. Being as gentle as they could, they lifted her up and laid her on the table. She was turned on her side so that she could be examined better. Her mouth was partway open and her tongue flopped out. There was some slight bruising on it as well. For a few minutes, there was a solemn silence in the room. No one said anything. The only sound was Ezma's slightly raspy breathing. The Dino Squad wanted to do something to help, but felt powerless.

Moynihan could feel Stone's pain. She noticed how much he cared for his sibling. She had never met Ezma before, but she didn't seem like the type of person, or alimon, who deserved something like this. She wanted to do something to help ease Stone's pain, but there wasn't anything she could think of. She looked on as Crescent ushered everyone away so she had more room to work. She hoped she would be able to find some way to help Ezma feel better.

Crescent gingerly pressed a digit against the bruise on Ezma's jaws to see how tender it was. She hadn't pressed very hard before she got a reaction from her. The yellow alimon tried to move away from the pressure, her eyes widened. She quickly removed her digit. It was clear that the jaws were still very tender. She would have to proceed with caution while she examined the jaw. This was her initial area of concern. She wanted to make sure there was no permanent damage. She pressed a paw on her jaw carefully and began to gently feel it.

To her relief, the jaw bone itself seemed to be in tact. She couldn't find any evidence of broken bone or torn ligaments or ripped muscles. She worked her paw upwards slowly, making sure she didn't miss anything. When she got closer to where the jaw met the skull, she started to worry. Something started to feel off about the jaws. In her experience, alimon jaws, or any jaws for that matter, should be rigid, locked in the jaw, but on a hinge so it was still movable. She wasn't feeling the same with Ezma's jaw.

While it was still connected to her skull, the connection was far looser. She was able to move Ezma's jaw around further to the side and front than she should have been able to. This action was clearly causing Ezma discomfort, so she stopped. This was very troubling. Even if Ezma hadn't nodded earlier, this discovery alone confirmed her suspicions of someone trying to pull out her jaw. It looks like they had almost succeeded. Either Ezma saved herself or someone came to the rescue.

Crescent looked over at Stone, who looked the most worried. "Looks like she was telling the truth and I was right. Someone had tried to rip her jaw off." She pointed at the bruise. "That injury was caused by the attempted ripping."

"How bad is it? Will she need surgery?" Stone asked, his voice urgent.

"I don't think so. The jaw is still connected, but there's a lot of bruising there. Her jaw is also looser than it should be." Crescent explained. "She's going to need to keep it still until it heals. We will have to use a muzzle to accomplish this."

Stone said, "I understand."

"A muzzle? But how will she eat?" Fiona interjected. "And for that matter, drink?"

Crescent turned her head to Fiona. "I didn't mean that kind of muzzle. I mean the kind that allows the jaw to open up enough to let the wearer drink and pant. I know where I can get one of those. It will be perfect in stabilizing Ezma's jaws so they can properly heal."

"Don't forget the other injuries." Cobalt pointed out. He walked around until he stood on the other side of the table. Ezma's ripped back was in his view. "Looks like she's going to need some bandages."

"Yes I know that." Crescent said. "I wasn't going to forget to treat them. After all, I am a nurse." She moved around so she could look at Ezma's back. Cobalt moved out of her way. Upon seeing the cuts more up close, she shook her head slowly. "These are going to need to be treated. They're infected."

Ezma tried to speak. Stone immediately put paw on her shoulder. "Please don't talk. You'll only hurt yourself." She looked up at him, her eyes wide with pain and the eagerness to tell him something. He wished he could let her speak, but he knew he couldn't. He nuzzled her gently. "I know you want to tell me something, but it must wait. Right now, you need treatment."

But Ezma seemed persistent to say something. She'd continuously open her mouth to try to form words. She looked frustrated that she couldn't say anything. She was in pain every time she tried to move her jaw bone. Stone could only watch helplessly as his sister tried, with all her might, to tell him what she wanted to say. He wanted to hold her still so she wouldn't hurt herself, but such an action would cause unnecessary pain and he was worried he'd hurt her even more. He wanted to do something, but didn't know what.

Luckily for him, Rodger had already thought of something. He had quickly walked away from the group and disappeared upstairs for a couple minutes, not saying where he was going. He returned shortly, coming down the steps. In his hands, he held a large sheet of paper and a pen. He walked back to the table where Ezma was laying down. The alimon looked up at him and then eyed the paper. He held it out to her.

"Here, you can write what you want to say." Rodger said. Ezma just stared at him, as if she wasn't sure what to do. "You do know how to write, don't you?" Ezma nodded her head slowly. "Okay, then here, take the paper and pen."

Stone eyed the paper, not knowing why he hadn't thought of the idea earlier. He looked back on the table and noticed a problem. It would be difficult for Ezma to write with so little room. He moved over and pushed a small table over. He placed it beside Ezma where her head was facing. "I think this will help her." He took the paper and pen from Rodger's hands and placed them in front of Ezma. "What is it you wanted to tell me, Ezma?"

Ezma struggled to push herself up. She looked down on the paper, her eyes narrowing. After a few minutes, she finally raised her paw to begin writing. Everyone in the room watched and waited as Ezma, slowly but surely, began writing words on the paper. She would pause several times, seemingly thinking of what to write next, and then would continue writing. It took her a while to write, longer than even Stone would have anticipated. Once she was done, she set the pen down and glanced up at Stone.

Before Stone had time to read it, Caruso snatched it up. Ignoring the glares he got from some of the people in the room, he looked at the note. He frowned, looking perplexed. "This doesn't look like writing. It's just a bunch of random letters." He turned towards Stone. "I think she must have suffered a head injury, and I'm not saying that just to be funny. I'm serious."

"What? Let me see that." Fiona said, walking over. Caruso held out the paper before her. Fiona frowned as she started to read what was on the paper. "Ocyozxuzm neuxbtq fka Cojbojuozr oja gtozr uz fkauj. Rxkaduzm fkaq oja fka azyujizdazf'r fi offoxb rgaxuar xjexuot fi ezjarf rgjaoc dirf..? What is this? Gibberish?"

Stone walked over to Caruso and snatched the paper back. "Next time, wait your turn." He said in a low voice. He took a glance at the paper and shook his head. "Nothing is wrong with her mind, Caruso. This is perfectly normal speech, well for us alimons anyway. You see, we alimons, both the Darkarians and Rock Rangers, share the same kind of code, which consists of a different word order and different alphabet arrangement."

"What need would you have for this code?" Michelle asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rodger said. "Like how Veloci tends to use Latin to keep anyone from reading private material, these alimons developed their own code so, if their work is discovered, no one would translate it. Am I right, Mr. Stone?"

"Correct." Stone said, nodding his head. He looked down at the note. His eyes skimmed through it. Knowing that Fiona mispronounced many of the words, he read the words himself. His eyes widened. "This isn't good..."

Emerald moved in and peered at the note himself. He gasped. "They wouldn't!"

After taking a look himself, Cobalt was shocked, though managed to keep calm. He said, "They were planning this for some time. Provided, they are progressing faster than we thought."

"What? What are they doing?" Max asked.

"What did the note say?" Caruso inquired. "What are the Darkarians up to?"

Emerald sighed. "I'm not sure if you want to know. It's..really awful."

"Hey, after all we had been through, I think we deserve to know." Buzz said, his voice firmer than usual.

Terri backed him up. "What's the harm in telling us? We are going to find out sooner or later anyway."

"Well, it's just that..." Emerald started to say.

As this was going on, Peter watched in silence. He didn't care about what they were talking about. It didn't concern him. As soon as he was better, he was going to leave. He didn't need anyone's help with his condition. He was more interested in finding Veloci. He wanted to see for himself if he was dead or alive. And if he was alive, he wanted to help him in any way he could. He knew Veloci didn't like getting help from humans, but even the velociraptor had to admit help from a human was better than nothing.

He looked over at Oscura and Kista. He wondered what they were thinking of their current situation. Oscura, he imagined would be in a similar state he was. She seemed a little more accepting of the alimons, but it was probably because she was interested in her own safety. Kista, on the other hand, was the most accepting of the alimons and of getting help form the Dino Squad. He didn't bother asking her how she felt. He had a good guess on how she felt. She didn't see anything wrong with getting help from their nemesis. For himself, he hated the idea. He thought it was demeaning to let the Dino Squad help him.

He didn't understand this woman. Her strange mannerisms never ceased to confuse him. She still used big, unrelated words in her speech. She would rather fight enemies at full strength. She liked to flirt with random people. And he was certain there was other weird behavior he didn't see that she participated in. He had asked her in the past why she behaved the way she did, but she would never give him a direct answer. The most she would say is that she just feels like it. But he wasn't satisfied with that answer. He only stopped asking her because Veloci told him not to, saying that their work was more important than chitchatting for hours.

Eventually he got tired of listening to them debating and blurted out, "What does it matter anyway? I'm sure it's nothing that important." Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at Peter, some shocked by his statement. "What? It's true. Dr. Veloci was already planning on transforming the world anyway. So why should I care what the Darkarians are going to do?"

"What the Darkarians are doing is worse than even Veloci's plans." Stone said, his voice firm.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Veloci was saving this planet!"

"By dangerous experimentations!" Max said. He moved forward, but Cobalt held him back.

"Even if Veloci thought he was saving this world..." Cobalt said, his eyes narrowed. "..I can assure you that the Darkarians have no intention on saving it. And what they have planned next, I can guarantee you that not even Veloci would ever go this far..."

Peter raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Oh really? Then tell me. What do they have planned?"

Cobalt sighed. He looked at the other alimons in the group. He didn't want to tell them. He was worried of a panic if he did. Yet if he didn't, what good will that do them? The Dino Squad was right. They did deserve to know the answer. "They plan on wiping out crucial species in Kittery Point. By doing so, everything will fall out of balance. Kittery Point will only be a test. If it's successful, they will do the same to other parts of the world..."

___

"Stupid nurse..." Axel grumbled to herself. She still wasn't pleased about how the battle earlier had gone. She couldn't believe she let herself be defeated by what she considered to be a weakling. "I should have won that match, dead on..."

She was in the medical room at Raptor Dyne, changing her bandages. She applied more medication on where she was slashed and covered them up with new, clean bandages. She hated wearing these. She felt weak with them on. But Blizzard had ordered her to do it. He insisted that she would be useless to him if she had become sick from infection. She still didn't particularly care, but she followed the orders anyway. Following orders wasn't something she liked to do, but she felt that, some day, all that will change.

In her mind, she replayed the earlier events, seeing in her mind how the nurse, Crescent, had managed to gain the upper hand. She had almost gotten a chance to kill her, but then she pulled a stunt that resulted ultimately in her humiliating defeat. She wasn't going to forget this defeat. She was going to make sure that nurse paid for what she had done. As she thought about this, her eyes started to glow slightly, a growl emitting from her throat. No one ever crossed her path and got away with it. She made sure of that.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you here." A black alimon said, approaching Axel from the door. With Raptor Dyne conquered, there was little reason for the Darkarians to remain in human form, though some still chose to. "I always thought you believed the medical room was for the weak."

Axel looked over and noticed Mona standing there. Although she didn't consider herself to have any friends, she did consider Mona a confidant, someone she could talk to and trust, though she never trusted anyone completely. This was a lesson she learned the hard way during her earlier years of being a Darkarian. In this pack, it was everyone for themselves. It helped make her strong, who she was today.

In addition to members of the pack encouraged to take care of themselves, the way the nurses worked was also different, in that they didn't exist. The Darkarians firmly believed that if they are injured, they are fit enough to treat their own wounds. If a Darkarian is unable to treat their wounds on their own, unless another decides to help them, they were on their own. The destruction of the nurses is another thing Axel believed makes the Darkarians stronger than the Rock Rangers. She saw all nurses as weak and felt that Crescent's victory was merely a fluke.

Axel hissed at the newcomer. "I still believe that, Mona."

Mona nodded her head calmly. "I see." She turned her head, revealing one of her eyes being sealed shut with a scar. "Judging from your expression, you are angry about something."

Axel nodded her head. "Well of course I am. Some stupid nurse made a fool out of me." She finished up tying the last bandage on her arm. "That insolent little brat..I'll make her pay for that!"

Mona just looked on quietly. It took a lot for her to be upset, even more so than Violet. She was among one of the calmest Darkarians. She didn't see much of a point to get worked up over anything. To her, life had just one purpose and that was to die. She knew everyone died at some point. No matter how happy or angry someone gets, they will die in the future. She was rather neutral on events and didn't get emotionally stirred by anything except on very rare occasions.

She understood Axel very well, more so than the other Darkarians. She knew Axel wasn't always like this, as well as Tana. When they first joined, they were actually reversed. Axel was the shy one, nervous, unsure of herself. Tana was the aggressive one who believed she could take on anyone in the pack. As time went on, exposure to the Darkarians' ways had reversed their personalities. After being defeated so many times, Tana had become more and more submissive while Axel quickly rose in the ranks and became hostile. Nowadays, it was Axel who bullied her sister, Tana, not the other way around.

"Well you know what they say about revenge. It's an endless cycle." Mona said calmly.

"Oh enough of those stupid sayings!" Axel snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Mona shrugged at this. "Whatever you say, Axel. Just offering some advice, is all."

Axel scoffed. "I don't need your help."

Mona stared at her. She was used to this kind of response. She knew it was a lie. Though Axel pretends to not care for advice, she does sometimes take it to heart. "How exactly do you plan on making her pay?"

Axel blinked. She scratched her chin. She hadn't actually thought that far yet. She had been so angry that she hadn't thought of how to get her revenge on the nurse. "I'm not sure, actually. Oh well, I will think of something!" Axel said, smirking with confidence.

"Whatever." Mona said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, did you get your new set of orders?"

Axel tilted her head. "New orders? But I thought I was supposed to..."

"Blizzard changed his mind. He has something else for you to do." Mona said, narrowing her eyes slightly. It wasn't unusual for Blizzard to change his mind about something. "And no it doesn't involve going near the nurse alimon, so sorry about that." Axel growled at this, but kept quiet so Mona could continue. "But I'm sure you'll still have fun with this assignment anyway."

Axel smiled at this. "Oh really? Go on..."

"He wants you to create a bit of unrest at Kittery High, and you have total freedom do what you want." Mona said.

"Oh really?" Axel chuckled darkly. "This is going to be fun!"


	29. Another Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

When monday rolled around, the Dino Squad still wasn't divided into groups like Stone intended. Other things had come up. He wanted to make sure Ezma fully recovered before he would depart. The female alimon needed a bit more time before Crescent felt she would be fine going back to the Rock Ranger hideout. The alimon still had trouble speaking, so she relied on paper and pen to communicate. She still wrote in alimon code, something that frustrated the Dino Squad, who hadn't learned how to read it. Stone said that Ezma never learned how to write in english, so she has to write in alimon code.

Moynihan was somewhat grateful they weren't split up yet. She needed to talk to the principal about giving her and her students some time off. What excuse she was going to use, she wasn't sure yet. She would think of something. She could call them, but she wanted to tell them in person. She might also give a warning about the alimons, but she wasn't sure if he would believe her. Thinking about it, she felt it was best not to say anything about the alimons. The chances of the principal believing her are slim. Plus it would make things a lot worse.

She had informed the squad that they would need to go to school today. They didn't sound very happy about it. They asked her why they needed to go when they had other things to worry about. Moynihan wanted them to still go despite what was going on. She said they needed to tell their teachers about being absent for a while. She had written them each a note to bring with when they went to school today. Some of them wondered why they couldn't call over the phone, but she said she would feel better if they told their teachers in person.

She was still in her bedroom, getting ready. She had removed her dirty clothes and put on her teacher's outfit. She quickly made her bed, making sure the blanket and sheets were nice, smooth, and flat. She went over to where Cerulean was, chirping away. She gave him food and water to keep him satisfied. She then walked over to a dresser, grabbed a brush, and combed her hair. This was a typical morning for her, except that she was moving slightly faster than usual and unsettling thoughts were filling her mind, mostly about the Darkarians.

She heard some sound on a lower level. She was startled slightly, but quickly realized that it was only Michelle. Her adopted daughter was getting ready for school. Judging from the yell she just heard, she was having some difficulty getting ready. And she would only have more difficulty as she would need to feed Rump before she left for school. The dog had been particularly energetic today. Moynihan was a little concerned that he would give her more trouble than usual.

Moynihan was also concerned about the fate of her lighthouse. If they were all to leave to combat the Darkarians, who was going to stay and take care of her pets and the lighthouse? Who was going to make sure the light was turned on for ships sailing by? She couldn't do it. Stone insisted that she come with them rather than stay alone. She didn't like this idea at first. Not only was she worried about her pets and any passing humans, but what about the Darkarians? Stone had said that the lighthouse was the second target. If they took Raptor Dyne so easily, it wouldn't take much for her tiny lighthouse to perish under an attack.

After arguing for a while with him, Stone had explained that he would assign some alimons to stay at the lighthouse. He had told her this days ago, before Ezma had showed up to begin with. Stone was going to have Fluke, Cobalt, and Emerald stay at the lighthouse. He was considering adding other alimons as well just in case. He also said that they would take care of the pets while she was away. Though she had known this information for days, she still wasn't entirely comfortable with it. She didn't fully know how Emerald, Cobalt, and Fluke were with animals, or how their tempers were. She was worried that they would snap and attack. Stone insisted they wouldn't, but she was still worried about it.

She heard thumping on the stairs. She turned her head over. She couldn't see any shadow yet, but she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs. Had she never met the Rock Rangers, she would have been frightened by the noise. But by now she had gotten used to this sound and she barely reacted to the footsteps emitting from the staircase now. A shadow was casted on the wall, a familiar shadow lacking the raised feathers on the head.

Coming up the stairs was a yellow and blue female alimon, Ezma. She was bandaged in many places, though some of the bandages were going to come off sometime today. Her mouth was tied shut to keep her from injuring herself further. Her stomach receded slightly inward, indicating that she was hungry. Her green eyes looked over at her direction. Moynihan wondered what she wanted. Up until now, Ezma had spent most of her time laying on the table downstairs. For her to walk all the way up here, there must be something she wanted to tell her.

"Ezma, what are you doing up here?" Moynihan asked, taking a few steps towards the female. "I thought you were supposed to be resting downstairs." Ezma nodded slowly, staring intently at her. She gave a few mumbling sounds, unable to speak with her jaws tied shut. "What is it that you want?" Seeing Ezma bring out a paper and pen, she quickly said, "No, no..I can't read alimon code.."

Ezma looked a little frustrated at this. Moynihan didn't blame her, though she couldn't help but find it odd that Ezma could understand english, but not write it. She decided not to question it. She didn't want to offend anyone with a comment like that. Wanting to finish up getting ready for school, she turned and walked away. She stopped when she heard something nudging her. She turned her head and saw that Ezma had pressed her muzzle against her side, pushing her gently. Moynihan sighed, somewhat frustrated. It was clear Ezma wanted to tell her something, but unless someone came up for translation, there was nothing that could be done.

She was relieved when she saw another alimon coming up the stairs. "Fluke, hello!" She waved to him.

Fluke smiled slightly in her direction. He was still feeling down about what had happened to Ezma. Upon seeing her, he walked towards Ezma. "You should be resting downstairs." Ezma mumbled something to him. Fluke tilted his head. "You know you shouldn't speak now." He looked over at Moynihan. "What is she doing in your bedroom? Did you bring her up here?"

"What? No. She came up here on her own." Moynihan said. "I'm curious as to why she's up here too. I think she wants to tell me something, but I can't read alimon code and she's unable to speak."

Fluke said, "Yes, I can see how that can be a problem." He looked over at Ezma. "Write the message and I'll translate it for Ms. Moynihan, okay?"

Ezma went to work writing the note. She had an easier time writing this time around. Perhaps the presents of Fluke helped her concentrate better. She wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, she managed to write the note in just a few minutes. She picked it up and handed it over to Fluke. She watched him as he read the note, his eyes scanning the page from side to side. She frowned when she noticed he didn't look pleased with her note.

Setting it down, he looked at Ezma and said, "Sorry but this will have to wait. You'll have plenty of time to talk to Ms. Moynihan about this after we get Raptor Dyne back." Ezma shook her head in protest, but Fluke wasn't changing his mind. Waving her off, he said, "The answer is still no. Now go lay down somewhere so you can heal up more. Stone will not be pleased with me if he saw that I hadn't seen to it that you got plenty of rest."

Ms. Moynihan was confused. What was it that Ezma wanted to tell her? Was it something important? She looked over at the yellow alimon's eyes. She was looking at her in desperation. Perhaps she was trying to tell her something crucial. If only she could understand the alimon code, then perhaps she could translate the page herself. But now wasn't the time to be learning the code. They were in the process of getting into their assigned groups and being sent out to their destinations, though this may not happen for weeks depending on Ezma's recovery time.

She watched as Ezma left the room, head low and grumbling under her breath. As soon as she was gone, she turned towards Fluke. He had started to leave as well. She stopped her, calling out to him. He paused and looked over towards her. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be nosy but...I just have to ask this."

Fluke sighed. "Hurry it up." Moynihan looked surprised by his attitude. Sensing her discomfort, Fluke offered a smile to try to lighten up the mood. "After all, I don't wish to make you late for work."

Moynihan inquired, "Why did you not want Ezma to tell me what was written on the note? Is it really that unimportant?"

"As of the moment, yes." Fluke said. "It's not the information is that forbidden; we just don't think now is a good time to reveal it."

This got Moynihan's attention. "Reveal what?"

Fluke rubbed the back of his head. "I really did say too much. Sorry but as of now, that information is classified. You'll have to wait."

This frustrated Moynihan, but she said nothing further on the subject. She let Fluke walk down the stairs to do what ever it is he was assigned to. This was going to bother her for hours, she knew. What kind of secret were the Rock Rangers keeping from her? She wanted to figure it out, somehow, but she thought the only way was to learn the alimon code. She glanced at the piece of paper on the ground and picked it up. Fluke had forgotten to tear up the paper before he left. She decided not to tell him about the note. Instead she crumbled it up and stuck it in her pocket where it'll be safe.

"What they don't know can't hurt them..." She muttered to herself. She was determined to find out what they were hiding from her.

Just then she heard a loud scream and a crash. She whipped her head over, her heart starting to race. "That sounded like Michelle... She must be in trouble!" She told herself in a harsh whisper.

Moynihan raced down the stairs and towards the room where she heard the noise coming from. There was another scream and later another loud thud. She heard the sound of claws tapping against the hard floor. Her first reaction was that Darkarians had snuck into the lighthouse. Preparing to defend her adopted daughter, Moynihan grabbed the door and pushed against it as hard as she could. The door flew open without a problem.

Adopting an aggressive pose, complete with glowing eyes and extended claws, she looked around for the culprit. Instead of seeing an invader, she instead saw Rump, in his dino mode, running in circles happily around Michelle. The teenager looked very annoyed, laying down in the corner with a bowl of mix spilled over her. There were several puddles of water and Rump looked dripping wet.

Moynihan quickly relaxed herself. She walked over. "What happened here?"

"Oh I was just trying to make breakfast, but Rump here was giving me a hard time." Michelle said. When Moynihan extended her arm to her, she took it and Moynihan helped her stand up. "He really likes water, and that's an understatement. He made the whole floor wet so I kept slipping." She looked down at her dirty shirt. "Just great..now I'll have to change..again!" She wiped herself off.

Moynihan hugged her. "At least it was just that. I thought Darkarians had gotten into the lighthouse."

"No, the only alimons that got in the lighthouse were the Rock Rangers and..." Then Michelle noticed something odd about Moynihan's shirt. She knew that the old woman had some hidden pockets on the other side of her vest. But it was unusual for Moynihan to even use them. "What's that?"

Moynihan released her and stared at her. Though she trusted Michelle, she didn't want anyone to know she kept the note Ezma wrote. "What are you talking about?"

Michelle wasn't so easily fooled. She pointed at an unusual raised area in the jacket. "That. What do you have in your pocket, Moynihan?"

"I don't have anything." Moynihan insisted.

Michelle narrowed her eyes. She sighed softly. "Well okay, if you say so." She started to move away, but then suddenly lunged at Moynihan. She was careful not to knock her down. She fought with Moynihan long enough to grab the note from her vest and pulled it out. She moved away from the old woman and looked at it. "Why do you have this note? It's all..jumbled up..."

"It's written in alimon code." Moynihan blurted out. "I wanted to translate it."

"Well didn't you ask Fluke? I saw him go up the stairs." Michelle said.

"Well I kind of did..." Moynihan said.

"And...?" Michelle asked.

"He said it wasn't time yet." Moynihan replied.

Michelle cocked an eyebrow. She took a glance down at the note. "So you took the note because you wanted to translate it yourself, somehow, instead of taking Fluke's advice and waiting?"

Moynihan sighed. She was hoping that none of her students would find out. She doesn't condone stealing and that's pretty much what she did, even if Fluke hadn't realized he didn't destroy the note. "Yes. I want to know what they are hiding from me."

Michelle shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think they are hiding anything from you. I'm surprised you'd think they'd keep something from you. But if it's that important to you, I won't stop you." Michelle understood what Moynihan was going through. Sometimes, she felt the same way about the rest of the Dino Squad. Unless it causes a real conflict, she saw no harm in Moynihan keeping the note. She handed it back to her. "Just please don't get in trouble."

___

"I don't see why we still need to go school. Not like it's the most important thing at the moment." Caruso muttered softly. He ran a comb through his hair, adjusting it the way he wanted it. He dropped it into a bag that he had slung over his shoulder.

"Well you heard Moynihan." Max said. "We still need to inform our teachers that we'll be gone for a while."

"Why can't she just tell them herself?" Caruso asked, frowning. "She's perfectly capable of doing that."

Max shrugged. He wasn't sure himself. But he wasn't going to question her orders. "She probably thinks that it'll be more convincing if we all talk to our teachers ourselves."

Max and Caruso were walking down the sidewalk. The others had left for school earlier and were already in class. Caruso took a little longer getting ready. He liked keeping himself as clean and pretty as possible. He took about as long in the bathroom as a typical female teenager. Max was frustrated, but he couldn't hurry up Caruso, who insisted that beauty takes time. Max had to roll his eyes at this and he scolded Caruso when he got out of the bathroom. But he didn't dwell on it. Once he was out of the bathroom, he dragged him outside and ordered him to get on his motorcycle.

Caruso didn't understand what the big rush was. He wasn't often late to school and he didn't take that long in the bathroom. Well it wasn't long to him anyway. He understood that Moynihan wanted him and the others to tell their teachers that they'll be absent. But he didn't know why she couldn't do it herself. She was pretty well liked amongst the teachers and by the principal. She could easily sweet talk them into letting them go for a few weeks, or come up with a convincing tale of her taking them on a long trip related to school. But instead, he has to do it himself. He hoped that he wouldn't screw things up.

He and Max were approaching the school now. He could see it in the distance. They would arrive shortly. He could see the school bus stopping by and dropping off some students that lived too far for walking. He tried to see if he could spot Fiona's vehicle, but was unable to. They were still too far off in the distance. He sighed softly. He wished he had gotten up earlier today. If he had known Fiona was going to be in earlier, he would have gotten ready at an earlier hour and have her drive him. It wasn't that he couldn't get to school himself. He just liked being with her.

Max took notice of Caruso looking around and had a feeling it was to see Foina's vehicle. He smirked at this, but didn't say anything. Lately, Caruso had been getting a little more clingy to Fiona. He understood why. They were about to head into battle and Caruso didn't want to lose her. Max was jealous of their relationship at first, but came to accept it and he remained friends with them both. In truth, he was happy for them. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if they had lost one another to the alimons.

When they arrived onto school grounds, Max said, "Let's hurry and get to class."

Caruso paused and looked around for Fiona's vehicle. "You go ahead. I'll be there."

Max gripped his arm. "No, come with me now. We're going to be late if we don't get in the building now. You'll have more time searching around out here after class."

Caruso wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. He knew Max was right. He would find Fiona in the school anyway. He didn't know why he was looking for a vehicle. He guessed it was because he was afraid that she was attacked and didn't arrive at school. But she was a tough girl, he knew. She could easily take care of herself if such a thing had happened. He thought it was silly of him that she would be in any kind of danger. Besides, if she was, she would have contacted the rest of the team. Plus her sister was with her, which would have made it easier for her to fend off the alimons.

"Okay. Still, I don't like the idea of..." Caruso started to say.

Max shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know that, Caruso. In truth, I'm a little frustrated by it myself." He started to walk towards the school, tugging on Caruso's arm. "But I'm not one to directly disobey Moynihan's orders. And I suggest you don't either. Now come along now."

The two boys walked into the school. There were still students trying to get to class. They were rushing up the stairs, through the hallways, into doors. Caruso and Max had a hard time keeping together. They were pushed about a few times. Twice they almost lost each other in the crowd. They managed to reunite together and they soon found their first class. It was their history class. The door was closed, but it didn't seem like class started without them yet. They stepped into the room and sat down in their desks.

Soon the last student arrived in class. All the seats were filled, like how it always was in this room. Caruso and Max waited for the teacher to come in. In their hands, they both had notes that they and Moynihan had written, detailing an elaborate lie that would seem convincing to the teacher so they could take time off. They looked up at the clock and knew the teacher would arrive shortly. The teacher was always on time, arriving on the first minute of class.

But as the minutes passed by, the teacher never showed up. This was unusual, but the students didn't seem too worried about it. Soon the teacher was late by ten minutes. Caruso and Max started to get worried. Their teacher was never this late before. The rest of the class wasn't too concerned. They started to talk amongst themselves about various topics. Then it hit the fifteen minute mark and the teacher still hadn't arrived. It seemed at first that the teacher would never show and that class was canceled.

This changed at the twenty minute mark. The door knob shook and turned. The students became quiet and moved back into their seats. The door opened up and in stepped, not their teacher, but a strange woman they had never seen before. She wore a typical teacher's outfit, but she didn't look familiar to any of them. The students looked at each other, perplexed. Max and Caruso stared at the woman and wondered what she was doing there. The woman approached the chalkboard and started to right her name. She took a step aside and showed her name to the class. It was Ms. Tana.

Ms. Tana looked a little nervous as if this was her first time on the job. She looked out at the class. Her eyes seemed to rest on Caruso and Max. She said, "Hello, class. Your history teacher is sick, so I'm filling in for him."

Caruso nudged Max and whispered harshly, "What are we supposed to do? Do you think Moynihan would mind if we gave the notes to a substitute teacher?"

Max frowned. "I don't see how it would matter. We could ask her to deliver them into the office. I'm sure she knows where that is."

"Yes, but what if she doesn't?" Caruso asked.

"Doesn't what?" Tana approached the two boys. They looked up at her. Despite her initial nervous appearance, she looked rather tough and capable now. Her arms were folded tightly against her chest and she glared down at them. "What are you boys doing?"

"We were just..um.." Caruso stammered.

Tana's eyes traveled down until they saw the notes. She cocked an eyebrow. "Then what are these?" She snatched one of the notes and opened it up. "You two passing notes to each other or what?"

Max and Caruso shrank a little as the rest of the class laughed at them. Tana held up a hand and the laughter stopped. She scanned her eyes through the note, reading it. When she looked down, Max decided to speak. "We were wondering if you could inform the principal of that. You see, it's kind of important."

"Yes, I know." Tana said, her expression softening a little. "I'll get this done later today. The first thing on the agenda is that quiz your teacher was going to do today." A few of the classmates groaned softly. Tana said, "Best to get it out of the way so you don't have to worry about it later."

Tana proceeded to hand out the quiz papers. She gave the students fifteen minutes to complete them. As she waited for them, she put the notes into her pocket. The fifteen minutes passed by faster than she had anticipated. The students came up to her desk, single file, and handed her their quiz papers. She then told them to read some pages in their history books while she graded the papers. Once she was finished, she handed them back to the students. The rest of the time was spent with her sitting quietly at the desk as the students continued reading. That was all the history teacher had in mind for today.

Before she knew it, class was over. She winced as the loud bell rang. The students got up from their seats. She watched them as they started to leave the room to get to their next class. She looked over and noticed that Caruso and Max hadn't left yet. Part of her was happy they didn't leave yet. She needed them for something. But another part of her was disappointed. She bit her lip as she looked up at the clock. As Max and Caruso got up and headed towards the door, at first, she didn't do anything. Finally, she brought herself to hold her arm out, stopping them in their tracks.

Max was shocked by this. He was almost never stopped by a teacher before. Caruso was less surprised as he did get in trouble with some teachers in the past. Max looked over at Ms. Tana. "What? Did we do something wrong?"

Ms. Tana shook her head. "Well no. I just..want to talk to you two for a little while, if that's all right."

"We should really be getting to our next class..." Max said. He tried to walk around Ms. Tana, but she was persistent. She kept the entrance blocked, shutting the door. "Our next teacher will be upset if we don't get to his class soon."

Tana nodded her head. "I understand. But don't worry. This won't take that long. I'll give you both notes that you can take to your next class so the teacher isn't upset with you two."

Caruso said, "Well all right. Spill it. What do you want to talk to us about."

Tana looked behind the two and pointed behind them. "Why don't you two have a seat first?" The two obeyed immediately. They walked over to their seats and sat back down. They looked at Tana expectantly, waiting for her to say what she wanted to say. Tana was trying to think of something to say, but it was clear she wasn't sued to this sort of thing. Finally, she said, "So you two wish to skip school for a few weeks?"

Caruso nodded. "Well that's what it says on the note, doesn't it?" He said, smiling. "What, did you think we wrote it just for kicks?" He couldn't help but chuckle.

Ms. Tana looked down at the note again. She frowned. "And you are going to be absent because of some kind of trip?"

Max nodded. "Yes, Ms. Tana. Ms. Moynihan is taking us on a trip. We'll be gone for a few weeks."

"Hmm.." Tana said. She put the note away. "What kind of place takes weeks to get to and back from?"

Max didn't know what to say to that. He hadn't thought of an answer for it before he came to school. He didn't think any of his teachers would bring it up. "I..."

Caruso had an answer already planned. "It's in another state. Moynihan wanted to do something nice for us because of how well we were doing in school, so she planned the trip." Even he knew how silly this sounded. He could only hope it would convince her.

Ms. Tana nodded her head. "I see. Well I guess that settles that then."

"Is that all you wanted to see us for?" Max said, getting up out of his seat. "Because we really have to get going now."

Ms. Tana said, "I understand, young boy."

"Okay then." Caruso said, getting out of his seat. "We'll be seeing you around."

"Just..one more thing." Ms. Tana said. She got up out of her seat and walked over towards the door. She looked out of the window briefly and then back at the two students. "You say you'll be absent simply because of a school trip?"

"Well yeah. That's what the note said." Caruso said, folding his arms.

Ms. Tana paused for a moment. "I think there'll be another reason you'll be absent..." Her voice was slightly lower than it was before.

Max was confused by this. What did she mean by that remark? "What do you mean?"

"Perhaps she means that we may get sick and be absent that way." Caruso said. But he was confused as well.

"No..." Ms. Tana said. She reached into her pocket, reached over, and locked the door. The two boys were shocked by this. They looked at her, their eye slowly widening. Ms. Tana looked towards them. "I think you will have a little...accident."

Now Max and Caruso both knew something was very wrong. They started to move away from the teacher. They didn't understand why she had locked the door. What was she planning on doing with them? What did she mean by that they were going to have an accident? They were getting so nervous that they were almost tempted to go dino. The key word there was almost; they knew they were forbidden to go dino in front of anyone unless they knew their secret and was able to keep it.

Ms. Tana started to walk towards them slowly. She knew what had to be done. She didn't want to do it, but she knew what would happen to her if she didn't go through with it. She watched as the two students continued to back away from her. Caruso and Max stopped backing away about a couple feet back. She got close enough to them that she could reach them with her hands easily. She stood in front of them for a few minutes, staring at them.

"What do you mean...accident?" Max said, tilting an eyebrow. "Is there some kind of storm coming or something?"

"Sort of..." Ms. Tana said.

"Why did you lock the door?" Caruso said, glaring at her. "Are you trying to make us late for our next class?"

Ms. Tana didn't respond to Caruso's question. Instead, she lifted up a hand and looked at it, flexing her fingers. "I'm just hoping you two will have it in your hearts to forgive me."

"Forgive you for making us late?" Caruso remarked.

"No." Tana said. Suddenly white claws sprouted from her fingertips. "Forgive me...for killing you." She quickly shifted into a yellow and red alimon. Standing on two legs, reared up, she let out a roar. She looked down at the two. "It's nothing personal...It's just business!" With that, she lunged at them, the two screaming in shock and fear.


	30. Plunder Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dino Squad always believed Victor Veloci was their worst enemy. They thought that no one could be worse than an evil velociraptor bent on world domination.
> 
> But when an ancient, highly intelligent dinosaur species, one they never heard of before until now, emerges, the Dino Squad may be forced to make a deal with the devil if the world is going to survive.

Caruso and Max jumped to the side as Tana came in on them. The alimon missed them, snapping at the air instead of flesh. She made a sharp turn and went after Caruso. The boy ran over to one of the desks and flipped it over to buy him time. Tana tripped over the desk and fell to the ground. She groaned a little and shook her head. She lifted her head and looked over at the two boys. They had moved in the far back of the room, glaring at her. She hissed and got up off the ground.

Max frowned as the yellow alimon approached them. He wanted to go dino, but he knew that the next class would be here soon. That meant two things to him. He couldn't do dino or else he'd risk getting spotted and Tana would want to kill them swiftly. Even though the door was locked and Tana had the keys, there was a window in the door. Anyone could look inside and see what was going on. That was bad news for him and Caruso. Going dino would likely lead to someone calling animal control, or worse, to come capture them.

Then a thought crossed his mind. Perhaps that is what they wanted. Not the whole getting captured part, but the students noticing a huge dinosaur predator in the school. Someone was bound to call for help, which would scare away Tana. In the mean time, he and Caruso would have to find some way to keep themselves alive. They couldn't even use any of their dino powers because the students would surely notice that. He glanced over at Caruso, who was gritting his teeth in fear.

Tana didn't waste any time. She ran towards the two boys, roaring loudly at them. She knocked away the desks as she approached, her large body easily pushing them over. She moved so fast for a creature her size. It took only seconds for her to reach them. She had them boxed in the corner now. She lowered her head, her blue eyes staring at them intently. She bared her teeth at them and prepared to attack. She reared up on her hind legs and raised a paw. Her claws poised, she struck down.

The two boys dodged out of her way. The claws made their mark on the wall, digging in deep. Tana growled in frustration as the claws got stuck. She pulled on her paw to free it. Using this opportunity, the two boys ran towards their desks where their bags still were. As they searched around for their chillers, Tana continued to try to pry her claws out of the wall. With one final tug, she wrenched it free, leaving behind a few small openings in the wall.

Her paw now free, she turned her attention towards the teenagers. She roared at them and ran towards them. She lunged in the air, flexing her claws. At the last second, Caruso and Max whipped around, holding their chillers in their hands. They pressed the trigger button and a blue colored cloud shot out from the nozzles. Tana's eyes went wide as they hit against her body. She roared in surprise and crashed into the ground. Even though the chillers weren't causing her any pain, she was suddenly feeling very cold. She shivered violently, her breath shaky. She was so cold that, for a few moments, she could see her own breath.

She didn't have time to react before the two humans jumped on top of her. She was shocked at this. She had never met a human brave enough to attack an alimon like this. She was even more surprised that they didn't bother transforming. Were they insane? Did they have a death wish? She narrowed her eyes, wincing slightly as they pulled on her feathery mane. She reared up and fell backwards onto the ground. Her back slammed into the ground. The two boys had let go just in time. They now stood over her, pointing their chillers at her.

She smirked. "What are you going to do? Spray me to death?"

"We'll give you hypothermia!" Caruso declared.

Max stared at him for a few seconds, and looked back down at Tana. He was more interested in getting answers than to make her freeze. "Why did you try to kill us? Is this some kind of scheme from your leader?"

Tana stared at him and shook her head. "You should know I'm not allowed to reveal that information. And yet I don't see the harm, since you'll be dead soon."

Undaunted by this threat, Caruso said, "You've already attacked the school before! Why do it again?"

"Chaos, mostly." Tana said. She pushed herself so that she was laying on her stomach. Her raised head remained turned towards the two male teenagers. "Yet you and your Dino Squad friends are the targets, mostly... That is all you need to know." Her eyes glowed slightly. "I revealed too much information to you two kids."

Max gritted his teeth. "You mean to tell me you are willing to strike terror into the hearts of people who have done nothing to you?!"

"That's about the gist of it." Tana replied, her voice calm.

"That's low!" Max hissed. He threatened to pull the trigger again. Tana looked unafraid, raising an eyebrow. That irritated Max. "Do you think I'm joking?!"

"Max..." Caruso said, his voice a little softer than usual. "..I've never seen you this worked up before towards these alimons. Why the sudden change in attitude?"

Max growled, then sighed softly. Caruso did make a good point. Why was he getting so worked up? Tana hadn't even manage to injure them yet and he didn't see any evidence to believe that she had harmed anyone in the school at all. But then he realized something. What did happen to their teacher? Tana hadn't told the full story on that one. Again he glared down at Tana, but he tried to remain calm this time.

"What did you do with our teacher..?" He asked.

"I just told you." Tana replied. "He's sick. I was filling in for him today."

"And yet you were planning to kill us and spread chaos in the school." Caruso commented, his tone slightly sarcastic. "Yeah that's a typical, every day thing for a substitute teacher to do!"

"He's right!" Max said. He pressed the nozzle of the chiller against Tana's snout, almost as if he was expecting her to be terrified of it. "You're lying to us! Now tell us where our teacher is!"

Tana grinned slightly. They would die soon, so it doesn't matter if she told the truth or not. She decided she would flatter them and tell them what really happened. It wasn't going to be a pretty story, so she decided to sum it up quickly for them. "Let's just say, thanks to a comrade of mine, he had a very personal encounter with the local meat grinder."

Max and Caruso's faces both went pale. The jock stammered, "Y-You mean you killed him..?"

Tana replied, "Not me exactly. I only watched. It was my comrade that pushed him in. Let me tell you, I'll never forget that sight. Guts being crushed, organs spilling everywhere. I think some of his shredded gallbladder, and some blood, landed on my face. Took me hours to get the smell out." She snorted, remembering the horrible stench.

Caruso shuddered at this. The thought of anyone being put through a grinder sent chills up his spine. In his mind, mental images haunted him, his teacher screaming as the blades cut into his body, crushing his ones and shredding his organs. "Why would you do such a thing...? Why?!" His voice was raised, anger dripping from it.

"If it's of any comfort, he didn't suffer long." Tana said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Don't get upset at me for what happened. I had no part in that, other than watching. I didn't lay a claw on that man!"

"Why have you been doing this? Why is your pack causing so much trouble? Why are they threatening to ruin the environment? Why have they been slaughtering so many people?" Max ranted, seething through his teeth. Tana's eyes widened slightly, as if she wasn't expecting him to rant like that. "Why, huh?! Why have you been doing this?!"

"Yeah!" This time, instead of stopping Max, Caruso joined in. He was just as angry as Max was. He didn't think anyone could be as cruel, or crueler, than Veloci, but today, he was proven wrong. "What has anyone ever done to the likes of you?! Did those people at the laboratory deserve to die? Did Ms. Krell deserve to die? Did anyone that your pack has slaughtered deserve what they got? Huh?! Did they?!"

Tana wanted to snap at them. She wanted to strike them down and kill them. But she couldn't bring herself to. Despite her efforts to suppress it, feelings of guilt welled up inside of her. They were right. Most of the people they had killed hadn't deserved it. They were mostly innocent bystanders that were killed merely for sport. They tried to justify it in some way, but in the end, they were wrong in what they had done. She had never said anything, but she didn't like what her pack was doing.

She sighed and looked away. "...no they did not."

Max and Caruso were a little surprised by this response, but they didn't lower their guard. They didn't know if Tana would suddenly turn on them and attack. They couldn't let themselves be tricked by her. Max said, "If they didn't deserve to die, why did your kind kill them?"

"It's their sick way of entertaining themselves, mostly." Tana said. "Oh sure sometimes they justify it with things such as how that person had something they wanted hidden, but the main motivator is just...fun." She frowned, exhaling slowly. She looked over at the two boys. "Believe it or not, not everyone in the Darkarian pack agrees with what the others are doing."

"Yeah right!" Caruso said, rolling his eyes.

"Every Darkarian we had met has tried to kill us!" Max snapped. Then his expression softened as he remembered something. He realized that this wasn't entirely true. He remembered Staka, that Darkarian Buzz had accidentally killed. She wasn't trying to attack them. She was trying to protect them, sort of. "Staka...she was trying to keep that other alimon from engaging us."

Tana nodded her head. "That's right, from what Stormwhite has told us. You see, we weren't supposed to engage you guys. Your killing of Staka, however, has angered many in the pack and they want to get their claws into you. It's a Darkarian thing. You mess with one, you mess with all of us."

"Well if you don't like what you're doing..." Caruso said, his eyes narrowed. "..why don't you leave?"

Tana frowned sadly. "I'm afraid I can't. I'll be tracked down and killed if I betray the pack. My sister especially would be at my throat." She paused for a moment. "Your friend Buzz has a similar problem."

"Buzz? Why?" Max asked. "Is this about Staka?"

The yellow female nodded. "Yes. Ysengrim was her closest friend. And that's surprising, considering Ysengrim isn't very approachable. She has sworn revenge on your friend and personally wants to slaughter him."

"That doesn't surprise me." Caruso commented. It sounded almost as if he didn't care, but deep down he was very concerned. He just wasn't surprised that someone had sworn revenge against Buzz for what he did. "Though I am surprised to hear that she actually had a friend at all. I thought you Darkarians didn't have friends."

"We can be more tightly nit than you think." Tana said, narrowing her eyes. "Remember that." Then she winced and lowered her head. The two boys looked at her, confused. "I can't stay here. She'll find me and punish me if I don't kill you two..." Tana turned her head towards the window that was in the room. She looked back at the two boys. "I have to go..now...before she shows up!"

"Who is she?" Max asked as Tana moved towards the window. Who was she talking about? Another Darkarian? Likely, since the only thing that probably frightened a Darkarian was an even stronger Darkarian.

Tana paused in her tracks. She already told them too much. She didn't think she had to say anything else. She was going to be punished when she returned, she knew that. She could try to lie, but they would see right through her if she wasn't careful. And the fact that she hadn't killed anyone would definitely ruffle some Darkarian feathers. They would see her mission as a failure and her assignment hadn't been that hard. Killing two humans shouldn't have been all that difficult for her, yet she had allowed these two to get the better of her. She just couldn't bring herself to deliberately harm them.

She opened her mouth to say something, but she kept silent. She couldn't say anything more. She revealed too much in the short time she was here. She looked over at Max, softening her eyes up in a sympathetic look. She hated to think of what was going to happen to these two young humans. It didn't seem fair to her, but she didn't think there was anything she could do about it. She turned her head away and bolted. She leaped through the window, the glass shattering upon impact.

Caruso and Max, eyes widened in surprise, rushed over to the window. Shattered glass was all over the sill and the floor. They had to be careful as they approached, stepping lightly to avoid cutting their hands and feet. They peered out the window. They could see the yellow dinosaur shape running across the parking lot and the grass. They didn't know why she hadn't changed back to normal. There wasn't anyone outside that they could see, so perhaps she didn't see the need to change back.

They wondered why she had left so suddenly. They wondered why she hadn't bothered answering their last question. What was it that she was afraid of? Who was she running from. They looked at each other, the same puzzled looks on their faces. They started wondering if they could even believe anything she had told them. They wondered if she had been lying to them the entire time and that this was all some kind of ruse. After all, Michelle had pulled a very similar stunt on them before when they first met her. But then again, she did still risk her own life to save Caruso's. Perhaps Tana was similar to her.

"I wonder what she's hiding." Caruso said, the tone of his voice suspicious. He didn't think he could completely trust Tana. She was a Darkarian after all. "Perhaps she was planning this the entire time."

Max didn't completely agree with Caruso, but he was a bit suspicious. It was unusual that Tana had just got up and left without giving some kind of remark. After his previous encounters with the Darkarians, he had assumed she would have given some kind of remark, even if it wasn't very helpful. "Whatever it was, she was obviously scared. It's very hard to fake that kind of expression without tipping someone off."

Caruso rolled his eyes. "Oh please, what could she have to be frightened about?!"

Max looked over at him. "Her boss, for one."

Caruso's expression lightened up. "Oh yeah, that's true."

"We should..." Then Max stopped. He thought back the things Tana had said. There were more Darkarians in the school. She had been only one. His eyes widened. This meant the others must be under attack. He turned to Caruso. "We have to get out of here! The others are in danger! There are more Darkarians here!"

Caruso felt foolish that he had forgotten about that tidbit of information. He wanted to slap himself on the forehead for forgetting. But he knew they didn't have much time. He rushed over to the door. He grabbed the knob and pulled on it. The knob was stuck and wouldn't budge. "The doorknob won't turn... Oh darn it's still locked! And Tana has the keys still!"

Max frowned and gritted his teeth. This was bad news indeed. They could still get out, but both would involve damage to property. He didn't have a hairpin with him and even then he couldn't pick the lock. He was about to suggest to Caruso that they transform into dinosaurs momentarily, but then a thought came to his mind. He looked at the doorknob and almost laughed. Caruso glared at him. "Umm..Caruso? You do realize it's locked from the inside, not the outside, right?"

"What?" Caruso looked down at the doorknob. Feeling embarrassed, he blushed. Max was right. There was a lock at the top of where the doorknob was that just needed to be pushed over. "Oh...right..." He chuckled nervously as he pushed the switch over. "I guess I was so worked up about that Darkarian that I had forgotten that doors work this way." He opened the door. "Now let's go help the others!"

"Right!" Max said as he ran the door with Caruso.

___

Rodger was sitting down in his computer and technology course with the other students. He and everyone else here were oblivious to what was going on elsewhere in the school. The computer lab was one of the few places of the school that hadn't been touched yet. And it didn't help that some of the walls in the school were pretty thick, so Rodger was incapable of hearing anyone screaming. Right now, the only thing on his mind was the assignment he had just been given.

Everyone in the classroom was pretty quiet, save for a few chatters and the occasional question to the teacher. He focused his attention on the computer screen. He had his accounting program open. The book next to him was open to the page where the assignment was. On the page were a list of different directions he had to follow. The teacher wanted this done before the end of class. Many of the students were easily frustrated, but for Rodger, it was a cake walk.

It took him only about twenty minutes to complete the assignment. He saved the file in the secure folder the teacher had provided for him. Then he went over to print it. When it was finished printing, he pulled it out and looked at it. He smiled, satisfied with his work. He was often proud of his capabilities, sometimes to the point of bragging about it. He had toned down on this recently, but sometimes he found it hard not to brag. He couldn't help it if he had such a high IQ.

He went over to the teacher's desk. The teacher wasn't surprised to see Rodger approaching first. Rodger held out the assignment and placed it on the teacher's desk. "Here you go, teach. I'm finished."

"Yes I can see that." The teacher said, his voice monotone. While he used to be impressed with how fast Rodger turned in assignments, it was getting old and predictable. He would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate it, though. It was easier grading his work than the other students due to how fast he would turn them in. "You may have a seat. Class will be over soon. You can play on the computer if you'd like. Just don't disturb any one else."

"Yeah I got it." Rodger said before turning around and returning to his seat. There wasn't much he wanted to do on the computer, at least in the way of games. He wasn't interested in gaming at the moment. He had something else in mind.

He was getting curious about these alimons. They were apparently a recently discovered species, but he wondered just how much of them were known, at least before it was revealed they were still alive. There was much much he could find in the books. There was mention of a discovery some time ago, relatively recent, but not much information. If these species were around for as long as they seemed to imply, perhaps they had been spotted by ancient people. That would make sense to him. After all, it would be difficult for an entire species to stay hidden forever.

Searching the internet didn't reveal much. He was getting disappointed. He wondered if the Darkarians, and perhaps even the Rock Rangers, sabotaged the evidence to keep themselves hidden. He understood why they would do this. They didn't want to be discovered by humans and they would risk getting hunted down if they did anything to risk it. Still, there had to be some kind of report on them. They couldn't possibly stop everyone from writing reports of mysterious dinosaur-like creatures roaming the world.

Soon he found something. He found a report on the Loch Ness Monster. Most reports described a plesiosaurus-like creature, but this report was very different. It still described a long-necked creature, but there were differences in this report. It described long spines growing out of the back of the neck. It described the creature swimming not like a sea-creature at all, but more like a dog or a lion, keeping its head above water and never diving under. And then there was one more detail that confirmed what he believed this report was. The person who described the creature said it actually came onto land and he could see that it possessed four claws on each foot, just like an alimon.

Rodger was convinced that this report was describing an alimon spotted in Scotland, where Loch Ness was. The long spines must have been the feathers that male alimons possessed. Keeping the head above water is also a sign the creature wasn't aquatic. The alimons never struck him as a species that liked being in the water for very long. And the four sharp claws, definitely a sign that it's an alimon. All the alimons he had seen possessed four digits on each foot, each one possessing a large claw.

Another search revealed another report, this one in a completely different location. He had heard of reports of Mokele-mbembe before, often describing a sauropod-like animal living in the jungles of Africa. What made this report different is that the person included descriptions that seemed very fitting of an alimon. This included four sharp claws on the feet, fangs exposed from the top jaw, feathers on the back of the neck, and a bizarre coloration. The Loch Ness report didn't mention color, so he suspected that alimon was gray, brown, or other earthy tone. This report, however, explicitly explains the creature having seemingly unnatural colors for a reptile. Red, blue, and yellow, not colors normally associated with reptiles of that size.

Reading more, Rodger learned that the creature was thought to be poisonous and hunters tried to kill it, but it ran off and disappeared without a trace. Rodger thought that the alimon must have went into human mode to protect itself from the african hunters. This confirmed what he had suspected. The alimons had been spotted before, but they were brushed off as mythical creatures and cryptids. It was very likely that Mokele-mbembe of Africa and Loch Ness Monster of Scotland were both the result of alimon activity. This also showed Rodger that the alimons had been in other places of the world other than North America.

Wanting to show the others the two reports he found, he quickly sent them to his e-mail. He would have printed it out, but he didn't want any of his classmates reading them. He wasn't the type of person interested in cryptids and his classmates would find it bizarre if they found out he was looking at this kind of information. They might even make fun of him, and he didn't want that, especially what happened the last time people had laughed at him like that. He shuddered at the memory and quickly pushed it in the back of his mind.

Rodger didn't have much time to relax after sending the e-mail. Almost as soon as he leaned back to relax, there was a loud bang coming from outside. Everyone in the room turned their attention towards the door where the sound had come from. Rodger wondered what it could be. Perhaps someone just fell down and..no that didn't make any sense. The sound didn't seem to fit that situation. Something else must have been going on. It sounded more like someone was thrown at the door.

"I wonder what's going on.." One of the classmates said, sounding worried.

Another one seemed to brush it off. "Oh it's probably just some retarded student banging against the wall. Nothing really important."

"Yeah." Said another person. "You know how idiotic some of the other students can be, especially the younger ones."

Not everyone agreed. Another student snapped at them, "Oh stop being so judgmental! For all we know, it could be one of your friends doing that!"

"My friends don't act like idiots!"

"How would you know? Ever seen how they act when you're not around?"

"Why you..."

Rodger wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. His eyes were focused on the door. There hadn't been another sound yet, but that didn't mean the problem was solved. Curious, he got up out of his chair. Some of the students noted this and watched as Rodger went to the door. He moved his face towards the window in the door and looked out. He didn't see anything unusual. Perhaps it was just some clumsy student or teacher, or perhaps the floor was slippery somehow and they just fell.

"Yeah you're probably right." Rodger said. "I don't see anything out there. Someone must have tripped and fell."

"I'm not so sure..." One of the students said, a female teenager. She got up from her seat and moved towards the door. Something in her mind was telling her something was wrong. She looked out the window and, just like Rodger, didn't see anything. She felt herself relaxing. "Yeah..maybe it was just.." Then came another bang against the door. This time when she looked, she could see something very clearly. She screamed and moved away from the door, startled. There were screams coming from other students as well.

Rodger looked over at the door to see what they were screaming at. He couldn't help but scream himself. There, pressed against the door, was a student's face. Part of the face was ripped off, exposing the muscles underneath. Blood was pouring from the wound, staining the window. Yet the student still seemed to be alive and struggled against something that had a vice grip on him. Just as soon as he had been slammed against the door, he was pulled back with a violent thrust. There was a blood curdling scream and a loud roar just beyond the door. And then complete silence.

Rodger was stunned by what had just happened. He knew immediately what this was; another Darkarian attack. He looked at the other classmates in the room. They were petrified, frightened, and shaking. They were obviously panicking, chattering excitedly to each other to figure out what to do next. The teacher had gotten up and tried to calm them down, but even he was beginning to sweat. There was a man killer on the other side of the door, and they had no way to escape. Some of the students were tempted to jump out of the window, despite it being on a higher level of the building, while others wanted to find some kind of weapon to attack the creature with, going as far as taking off their shoes and readying them for striking.

"What was that thing?!" A student cried, absolutely horrified.

"I've never seen anything like it before!" Another shouted. "It looks kind of like a dinosaur...but that's impossible..."

"It's going to eat me!" A student panicked.

"Well we can either sit here and let it eat us, or we fight back!" One student shouted. She got up from her sitting position and moved towards the door. She held up her sharpened pencil like it was a deadly weapon. "I'm not going to let this thing get the best of me..."

As soon as she said that, the door was knocked down, provoking screams from various students. Rodger bit his lip and watched as the Darkarian walked into the room, growling softly. The long feathers on the back showed that it was a male Darkarian. But the coloration was different than what he had seen before. This was a Darkarian he hadn't met before. The Darkarian was bright blue and yellow. His cold, light brown eyes stared down everyone in the room, and he snorted.

The girl that had been so ready to fight looked hesitate now. But she didn't move from her position. She was determined to protect herself. She pulled the pencil back, threatening to use it as a weapon. The Darkarian looked at her and seemed to almost smile at this. A second later, the girl, after mustering up enough courage, ran towards the alimon. The Darkarian just watched her, as if he didn't think she could do any damage to him. The girl took aim and struck forward with the pencil. It struck deep into the Darkarian's right eye.

Immediately, he pulled back and roared in agony. The pencil was still stuck in his eye, embedded in deep. Blood was dripping rapidly from the eyelids. He shook his head left and right, trying to find some way to alleviate the pain. He finally took a front paw and grabbed the pencil with two claws. He pulled it out swiftly, causing another wave of pain to surge through his body. He tried to open his right eye, but the pain was so intense that he couldn't. Parts of his eye could be seen even with the eyelids closed. This sight caused some students turn away, nauseous at the sight.

The Darkarian stopped roaring and turned his attention to the girl who had injured him. She stood her ground, smirking at what she did. She was prepared for a fight, her hands formed into fists. The Darkarian's mind was filling with rage at the thought of such a weak creature damaging him like this. He opened his mouth wide and roared loudly. The girl looked horrified as the Darkarian charged towards her, mouth agape. Her classmates screamed for her to get out of the way, but she was frozen in place, too scared to move. Then the alimon reached her and she had no time to react.

The alimon seized her in his jaws, closing them around her head. She tried to scream, but it was too painful for her to move her mouth. She was pushed into the ground. The Darkarian placed a paw on her chest, digging them deep into the skin. Blood poured from the new wounds. The pain was unlike anything she had felt before. Fortunately, it didn't last long for her. Unfortunately, the end results still wasn't very pretty.

It happened so fast that not even the other students watching could comprehend what just happened. The Darkarian tightened his grip on the girl's head and pushed down harder on her chest. He started to tense up his neck and readied his body for potential strain. Before anyone could react, he pulled sharply upwards. There was a sickening cracking sound as the girl's head was severed from her body. Her spinal column was visible, dangling like some loose rope. Blood poured from the two openings the alimon had created. Then the alimon bit down hard on the head, crushing it easily. Blood quickly drained from the head and poured onto the ground. Fractures of the skull and chunks of brain sprayed everywhere, covering some of the nearby students.

The Darkarian released his grip on the crushed skull and let it fall to the ground. He looked at the corpse of the girl, her head ripped clean off. Her body had gone completely limp. The smell of death rose from her body quickly. He turned his blood covered face towards the remaining students. He growled softly and approached them slowly, lowering his head and baring his teeth in an obvious threat.

But just as he was about to attack, something stopped the blue Darkarian. Someone had jumped onto his back and was now hanging on for dear life. The person happened to be Max. He pulled on the Darkarian's feathers to cause pain and to distract him from the other students. The Darkarian tried to knock the jock off, but he was holding on too tightly. Rodger was shocked by what he was seeing. Where did Max come from?

"Max?!" Rodger cried. "What are you doing here?!"

"Get out of here!" Max shouted to Rodger and the other people. "I'll keep him distracted! Just get out!"

All Rodger could do was stare in shock as Max wrestled bravely with the angry Darkarian. He finally snapped out of it. He turned to the other students and said, "Okay, everyone follow me and do exactly what I say! No questions!"


	31. Prisoner Talk

A male alimon, grey and light grey colored, stood in a somewhat small room. His skin easily contrasted against the redness of the cave-like room. Where the walls narrowed towards a closing, there was a small hallway and a door that just barely fit against the rocky surface. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, staring towards the door. He felt some jealousy as he realized he couldn't participate in the school raid. Some Darkarians have all the fun.

In his jaws, he carried a torn off leg from one of the many dead Raptor Dyne employees. A little bit of blood dribbled off from it. He had gnawed off much of the meat at one end, so the bone was exposed, broken in a few places. He wasn't very hungry anymore. The remains of the employee were pushed up against the wall, almost entirely stripped of meat. Some of the bones were missing. He had crushed and eaten them.

He dropped the leg onto the ground and turned his head over. The room wasn't completely empty. It appeared small only because of the multiple cages that were packed inside. They were strong and reinforced with some of the strongest metal known to man, dinosaur, or alimon. If the strength wasn't enough, the cage bars were set to shock anyone who tried too hard to break them, and even if a prisoner could get out, they'd have to contend with the Darkarians, who aren't far from here.

Inside one of the cages was a somewhat large figure, though still small in comparison to him and the other Darkarians. The figure was pushed up against the shadows, with only hints of the skin visible. Some red skin, almost as red as the walls of the room. Dark red blood had seeped on the floor, staining it a deep crimson. The creature inside, even in the shadows, looked absolutely pathetic to the grey alimon. The figure had barely moved since it was first placed inside the cage after the raid and total take over of Raptor Dyne.

The grey alimon approached the cage slowly, his yellow eyes peering inside. "It is a shame you can't bear witness to this second raid." The figure looked at him, a pair of yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. "You never liked humans much, did you?" The figure didn't respond with words, just a growl. The grey alimon chuckled at this meek attempt to intimidate him. "You were so convinced of your intelligence, believed so strongly that nothing could stop you..and yet now here you are."

The figure lifted up its head. 'You aren't so bright yourself...Your pack had the chance to kill me, yet the let me live. That will be their biggest mistake...'

The grey alimon smirked at the figure, whom he recognized as Veloci from the voice alone. He figured he remained in his velociraptor form so the wounds don't have as much of an impact on him. His human form would have bled out more quickly. "No, our biggest mistake was when we overestimated you. I can't tell you how many times our leader had expressed some disappointment with the way you fought. He expected more from a prehistoric predator like yourself."

Veloci hissed at this. This wasn't the first time that his pride as a dinosaur was insulted by a Darkarian. He was going to see to it that they were sorry for what they said. 'You are no great predator yourself, alimon... You and your kind use technology to aid you, while a real predator would no.' Veloci hated technology, especially if it was a way to assist in capturing prey.

"You do the same thing, you know." The grey alimon said, ignoring the hiss he got from him. "You can't deny it. You have had to rely on technology in order to further your goals. You've needed technology to recreate dinosaurs to the best of your ability."

'..that doesn't count..That's dino tech there. It doesn't count.' Veloci said, not wanting to lose his pride.

"Dinosaur technology that is the result of human technology." The grey alimon stated, pacing back and forth as he glared at Veloci. "You have convinced yourself that they are different, that you somehow are solely responsible for many discoveries. Well stop playing a fool of yourself. You know as well as I do that the discoveries you used to even start your plans were made by humans. Even your precious primordial ooze couldn't have come about had it not been for Peter's nanobots."

Veloci growled at this. He didn't want to admit that what the alimon said was true. He refused to admit it. He didn't need anyone to help him. He could rely on his own intellect to create what was necessary. Who needed humans anyway? He had both strength and intelligence, something he believed humans severely lacked. He had already come up with primordial ooze before he had even started Raptor Dyne. The ooze was primitive and didn't make strong changes, but it was still a start. Some improvement was the result of when Moynihan still worked alongside him.

He felt a sudden pang in his chest when he thought about Moynihan. She had abandoned him for the humans, left him all alone to continue on with his work. Her leaving him caused him to rely on human help, but progress had never been as fast as it was when he worked with another dinosaur. And he couldn't help but think about what she had told him when he had tried to kill Michelle. She had told him how he still needed the humans and their technology to further his plans. He had denied it of course. He didn't want to admit to having to rely on hairless apes for anything.

But the more he thought about what she and the alimon had said, the more it started to make sense. He couldn't have had made it this far without his employees. Although they worked largely out of fear, his men had shown loyalty towards him that he never really expected from a human. They had worked tirelessly in order to produce results in order to satisfy him. A part of him started to feel somewhat guilty. Though he still hated humans, he started to wonder if Moynihan had been right and that humans were more useful than he had originally thought...

He shook the thought out of his head. No, he didn't need the humans, not anymore. He had worked alone before and he could do it again. He admitted it would be harder to accomplish things now that most of his men were dead, but he could manage. He wasn't going to let this grey alimon play mind games with him and twist his perception of reality. Moynihan had already tried poisoning his mind in the past. He wasn't going to let this alimon do the same thing to him.

'I don't need humans...' Veloci hissed. 'You and Moynihan are wrong. I can do everything myself! I'm a dinosaur!' He started to rise to his feet. 'I'll show you! Come over here and...' He suddenly howled in pain and fell to the ground. There was a horrible pain coming from his behind.

The grey alimon narrowed his eyes. "You forgot about your tail, didn't you?" He didn't expect any kind of response.

Veloci hissed at this, not wanting to feel foolish. He turned his head towards his back end. Earlier in the battle with Blizzard, his tail was sheared off by Blizzard. Upon arriving here, Blizzard had a couple of his subordinates stitch the tail back on hastily. They didn't bother cleansing the needles or the open wound. The tail hurt to move and he didn't have any movement behind the location of the wound. He couldn't even feel the tail at all, at least not yet. He didn't know how long it would take for it to heal or if it would even be fully functional when it did heal. And it wasn't just his tail. His leg was still broken too.

"I am still amazed, I admit, that you survived the attack." The grey alimon said. "So much blood and so many cuts, along with a removed tail and broken leg... Many would have died from that when not given proper treatment. All you had was some quickly-done stitch work." He positioned himself so he could stare at the velociraptor inside. "Then again it may just be a matter of time before you perish as well, and all your work would be used for a more practical purpose..." The alimon grinned.

'Shows how much you know. Obviously you can't see that far beyond your own snout.' Veloci said, baring his teeth.

The grey alimon was hardly effected. It was true that he had bad eyesight compared to other Darkarians. But he never let that bother him. To him, Veloci was blurry, but not too much. It wouldn't hinder him in a fight. He chuckled slightly as he heard a growl come from the dinosaur's stomach. "I can see you can't see far beyond your own abdomen. Why don't you have a bite to eat?"

The grey alimon turned and walked over to where he dropped the leg. He snatched it up in his jaws and walked over. He pulled his head back and thrust hard to one side. The dismembered arm flew into the cage and smacked Veloci in the head. He growled in response and stared at the limb.

Veloci wrinkled his nose in disgust, or the best he could in raptor form. 'You can't expect me to eat that disgusting piece of flesh...'

"I won't make you. But I can assure you that you will eat it if you're hungry enough." The alimon responded. He looked back towards the door. "I'll be back. I should fetch you some water. Blizzard wants you alive...for now."

As the Darkarian left the room, Veloci stared down at the meat again. He didn't want to lower himself to eat human flesh. Sure he had threatened his men that he would eat them if they failed him too many times. But he rarely engaged it. He hated the idea of disgusting primate flesh moving down his throat and into his stomach. He almost lost his appetite thinking about it. He would rather have some real food, which he hadn't had much of since he first emerged in this human-infested world. He longed to have some duckbill dinosaur meat again, which was one of his favorites back in the good old days when dinosaurs rightfully ruled the planet.

But he was getting quite hungry. He hadn't head any food since before his capture. He was doing his best the cope. He refused to complain to the Darkarians about wanting food. He didn't want to stoop down to that low level. Only something like humans would ever do that. A dinosaur would not. A dinosaur would continue pushing forward, despite the odds, and not give into anything an enemy expects them to do. He didn't want to lose his velociraptor pride by eating food that was offered to him by an alimon.

Yet despite his stubbornness, the hunger started to overwhelm him. The sight of the human flesh started to look more and more appetizing. His instincts took over before he could control himself. He snapped his jaws onto the limb and started to eat it. He ripped the flesh from the bone and swallowed it. He ignored the taste, feeling satisfied of having at least something to eat. In seconds, the limb was completely stripped of flesh. He soon found himself chewing on the bone, gnawing at it and trying to get at the bone marrow.

Suddenly he realized what he had just did. He pulled his head back and stared at the limb. He blinked, surprised that he had let himself do such a thing. He swatted the limb away, growling in disgust. A new feeling started to overcome him. He tried to shake it off, but he couldn't. It was shame, something that he had never felt before. He licked the inside of his mouth and almost threw up as he felt the taste of human flesh against his teeth. He opened his mouth and salivated quickly as he scraped against his teeth, trying to remove the horrible taste from his mouth.

After he was finished, Veloci lowered his head onto the ground. Many thoughts went through his mind. He was confused and disgusted at the same time. He thought about what the alimon said, what Moynihan said. He thought about his action of eating meat from an inferior species. He thought about the loyalty his men had displayed towards him and his behavior towards them. Despite his pride as a dinosaur, he could feel that slipping away. He couldn't help but feel impacted from the weight of everything that had gone on recently.

He couldn't figure out why he was feeling like this. Why should he care about humans? He didn't, but why did he feel a little bad about how he treated the ones that were loyal to him? Was it just from the confusion of the Darkarian raid or did he really think like that? He was a dinosaur and he still felt pride, but why did he feel his pride slipping as he ate human flesh? Shouldn't it not matter? Humans were still animals after all, so why did he feel so disgusted about eating them? And why was he still thinking about Moynihan, despite her utter betrayal? He had wanted to kill her after she broke free of his spell, but now he wasn't so sure.

He soon realized what it was. He figured out why he was feeling like this. It wasn't because of humans or Moynihan specifically, but from loneliness. He missed being in the company of Moynihan. And it was more than just companionship he missed. He had never told his men this, but he did love Moynihan at one time. He did genuinely care about her so many years ago. His anger towards her wasn't just out of her going with the humans, but from the pain of losing her. And now he was just realizing he still had some feelings for her. Was this why he still found it hard to kill her? No she was still a traitor...

"I see you have eaten." The grey alimon said, returning into the room. He carried a small bowl of water with his flexible tail. He moved towards the cage and placed the bowl inside, as close to Veloci as he could. "And I thought you might be interested to know...there had been some confirmed deaths at the school." Veloci stared at him. "No identifications yet..but who knows? Perhaps that other raptor had been killed...the traitor one."

Although it was against his nature, Veloci couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly. 'Moynihan?'

"Ah so that is her name." The alimon said, smiling. "And why so concerned? I thought you hated her." Veloci snarled at this in response.

Just then, another alimon walked into the room. "Nyoka! That's enough!"

Nyoka turned his yellow eyes towards the newcomer. "I am just standing guard here like Blizzard wanted me to."

"You weren't to reveal anything to the prisoner." The alimon said, his feathers lowered in anger. "Now report yourself to Blizzard and tell him exactly what you did. I'll take over the post from here."

Nyoka narrowed his eyes. He was annoyed that he couldn't remain and talk more with Veloci. But this alimon was of a higher rank than him and he couldn't ignore the orders. Lowering his head in a submissive way, he walked towards the door. He paused to look back, noting the alimon taking position next to the cage. Nyoka walked out of the door and shut it behind him.

"Everyone is a party pooper..." He hissed to himself.

___

Buzz ran down the hallway as fast as he could. He had to find the others as quickly as possible. His heart was pounding, his breathing was raspy, and he was covered in sweat. He pushed past many people, shouting at them to run away. He didn't know if they would listen to him, but he knew they would definitely run away when they saw what was chasing him. Working up the courage, he looked behind him to take a look.

A female Darkarian, solid orange in coloration, was bounding her way towards him. She roared at the students as she got close, snapping her jaws at them. The students screamed in terror and ran off in different directions. Despite all these tempting targets, the female was focused solely on Buzz. He wondered if it was because of the fact that he was a Dino Squad member.

Buzz apologized as he continuously bumped into people, trying to find a way out. A few people made a comment on how weird he was for running like that, but even they realized what kind of danger they were in when the orange alimon showed up, roaring ferociously at them. Buzz was trying his best to lead her away from the defenseless students and towards where another Dino Squad member was.

He had already tried a couple of the classrooms where he would find either Caruso and Max or Rodger, but they had vacated. He was now heading towards the math room where Fiona would be. He hoped that she was still there. He wondered how many alimons had gotten into the school. He knew there had to be more than one. He had found some carcasses on the ground while this orange one followed him.

He noticed that there was a fork pathway in front of him, forcing him to turn left or right. He turned right, since that's the direction Fiona's classroom was in. As he made the sharp turn, the orange alimon didn't respond in time and crashed into the wall. Buzz looked behind him and laughed in relief. This would surely slow her down a bit so he'd have more time to reach Fiona. When he looked out in front of him, though, he screamed, seeing something he wasn't expecting.

The window in the hallway had been smashed, many glass shards falling on the ground. A light blue and beige female alimon had jumped through the window and landed on the ground in front of him. Her light blue eyes turned to stare at him, her nostrils flaring rapidly. She growled and snapped at the air in an aggressive manner. It was clear that she wanted to sink her teeth into him. Buzz took a few steps away from her, but stopped as he heard growling behind him. The orange alimon caught up to him and was now blocking his path.

Buzz was completely trapped. The two females blocked his path to any nearby doors. The blue alimon was even blocking his path to the broken window so he couldn't simply climb out. He wanted to transform, but could not. There were people now in the hallway, looking to see what the commotion was. Now the hallways were filled with a couple dozen students, many with expressions of horror on their faces. And among them, he could see Fiona, who looked just as lost as he was about what to do.

As the alimons roared at him and at the people around them, Buzz tried to think of what to do. What could he do about this? He couldn't transform, not without revealing his dino identity to the school, or at least to these classmates. Fiona couldn't change either. They didn't have anywhere to go and hide so they could transform. And the alimons were blocking their path. He knew they had to think of something fast before the two female alimons managed to kill someone here, like themselves.

"I know you..." The blue alimon spoke. The crowd around them was shocked. There were many murmurs of surprise and questions. The blue female ignored them, her eyes focusing on Buzz. She apparently didn't care if the humans heard her speak or not. "I know exactly what you did...I know exactly what you are."

Buzz gulped nervously. He gave a weak smile, trying not to seem too intimidated by her enraged expression. "What..what are you talking about?"

"You're a murderer!"

Buzz winced at this. He looked around him. Students were looking at him in shock, wondering if what the alimon said was true. Others narrowed their eyes at him. He couldn't tell if this was out of a new found hatred or if they were starting to fear him. Some of them made comments to each other, whispering so he couldn't hear. This didn't bother him too much. He was already used to people spreading rumors about him being dangerous simply due to his appearance. He was more worried about how the principal was going to react to this supposed rumor than the students.

"What?" Buzz asked.

The blue female snorted at him. "Don't play dumb! I know you killed my friend, Staka!"

The name rang a bell. Buzz's eyes widened slightly as he remembered how he accidentally killed the brown female. And now he was standing here, staring at someone who claimed to be her friend. And from the look on her face, she wanted to return the favor by tearing him apart. "But it was..."

"Admit it!" The blue female roared. The orange alimon hissed in response. "Admit that you killed my friend! Admit to everyone here that you ripped open her stomach and let her intestines fall out!"

Most of the students now looked disgusted. They looked over at Buzz, wondering if it was true. He stared back at them, moving his head around. He looked back up at the female alimon. Would anyone believe him if he did admit to it? No one here had ever really seen him act aggressively before. All they had to work on were the rumors. The blue female was losing her patience and she snapped her jaws at him, causing him to scream and fall back.

"Admit it!" She shouted.

"I-I..." Buzz started to say. He wanted to deny it, but he was afraid that the blue female would attack someone if he didn't. He wanted to keep her focus away from the others. "...I did it..." He confessed, lowering his head slightly. "I killed her.." There were some whispering amongst the group. He looked up at her. "But I didn't mean to do it! I-It was an accident!"

"I don't care!" The blue female shouted. "I, Ysengrim, will make sure you pay for what you did..in blood!" She stopped when she felt something hit her. She turned her heard towards Fiona, who had thrown her book at her.

"Leave him alone!" She shouted at the alimon. She could feel everyone's eyes on her. Nobody seemed surprised that she was defending Buzz. But many were surprised that she had the guts to throw a book at a large predator like that without hesitating. "He just told you it was an accident!"

Ysengrim moved her head close to Fiona. She stared at her for several seconds. She was annoyed that she was interrupting her vengeance. "If you want to join him, then come on!" She grabbed Fiona by her shirt and threw her at Buzz. She watched as Fiona crashed into Buzz and the two fell on the ground. The orange alimon chuckled at this. Ysengrim moved towards them. "If you two wish to die together, I shall grant it!"

The orange alimon, who had remained quiet, decided to speak. "I know you two want to fight us. So why don't you? Why don't you show everyone here what you really are?"

"What we really are? Everyone here can see we are human." Fiona said, biting her lip. Was this alimon going to force the two of them to transform in front of everyone? They couldn't do that. They couldn't reveal their secret to anyone here. Instead she tried to put up a front. "They can clearly see what you are. You two are monsters!"

Ysengrim swished her tail back and forth. "That may be....and yet so are you two." Fiona and Buzz looked at her in surprise. "And I will prove it." Her eyes glowed intensely.

___

"What did they do?" Stone asked. He was standing outside the lighthouse. In front of him stood his brother, Midnight, a light red and yellow alimon. Midnight looked exhausted, as if he had ran such a long distance. It must have been urgent for him to risk running in alimon form. Stone was worried about if anyone saw him or not, but he was even more concerned about what had scared him.

Midnight panted to catch his breath. He started regretting running nonstop from the school to here. He wasn't in the best shape of his life nowadays. He had grown too lazy. "It's the Darkarians... They are attacking the school!"

Stone widened his eyes at this. The Dino Squad and Moynihan were still in school at the time. They would have a hard time using their dino modes in there without being seen. They had done it before, but they were just lucky those times. With an unknown number of alimons in the school, there would be people flooding through the building, making it hard to transform without being seen. He wondered if this is what the Darkarians had planned. It wouldn't destroy the Dino Squad, but having so many people turned against them would threaten to hinder their progress.

"Was anyone with you?" Stone asked.

"No, just me." Midnight responded, his breathing slowing down to normal.

Stone frowned at this. Why didn't his brother stay behind to help? He took a step towards him. "There was no reason to come back and get me. You could have offered some help. And you have a communicator I gave you. You could have contacted me that way."

Midnight realized his mistake and hung his head. "I apologize. I guess I just panicked..."

"Yeah, well your panicking may have already cost some students their lives!" Stone yelled. Midnight kept his head low. It wasn't common for Stone to yell at someone, especially a relative. Though still furious with his brother leaving the school, Stone didn't want to dwell on it. "Next time, if you see something you feel needs attending, check it out first, especially if not doing so will result in death."

The red and yellow alimon nodded his head. "Yes, Stone. It won't happen again."

"Hey, what's going on here?" Donovan asked, walking out of the lighthouse.

Stone looked over at his trusted advisor. "Midnight has reported a Darkarian attack on Kittery High! Donovan, you're coming with me and Midnight!"

"Shouldn't we get reinforcements?" Donovan asked.

Stone said, "Not enough time!"

"And your sons and their friend?" Donovan inquired, motioning his head towards the lighthouse.

"They will stay here. Someone has to watch Ezma and the others." Stone said. He noticed Donovan's expression. "They will be fine. Peter, Kista, and Oscura, even if they tried to attack, won't be able to defeat those three, not in the state that they are in."

"I wasn't worried about that." Donovan confessed. He had already known that the three Raptor Dyne survivors were too weak of fighters, and too injured on top of that, to deal with three alimons. No, something else was bothering him. He wasn't sure how he was going to word it though.

"Well?" Stone asked, pressing on. "What is it?"

"What if they aren't strong enough to hold back a Darkarian invasion?" Donovan said. "I know it's a long shot, but still, gotta be prepared for that."

"I'm confident that they can handle themselves. We won't be gone too long." Stone said. He was a little surprised by Donovan's attitude. He was usually felt more confident about those three alimons than this. He turned his head in the direction where the school was. "Enough talking! Let's go!"

He and Midnight changed into their human forms. They ran towards the car and climbed inside. They looked over at Donovan, waiting for him. Donovan still looked unsure. He looked back at the lighthouse. The conflict with the Darkarians was intensifying and he wasn't sure how well prepared those three youngsters were. But perhaps Stone was right. Perhaps they just might be ready for this. He changed into his human form and entered the car.


	32. Secret Exposed

Buzz could feel the graze of the cold claws slash by his face. A few small cuts appeared on his cheek. He yelped and moved back. He was shocked that he managed to dodge the blow from Ysengrim. He hadn't expected to be able to move that fast. Ysengrim snapped her head back, obviously aggravated that she hardly made a hit on the boy. She moved towards him again, snapping her jaws at him. Buzz ducked down and, out of self defense, struck out with his leg, slamming his foot against her chest. This didn't cause Ysengrim much pain, but it annoyed her.

Buzz looked over at Fiona. She was having problems of her own. The orange alimon, who seemed to be somewhat of a good friend of Ysengrim's, was harassing her. She continously tried to strike out at the girl. She wasn't as ferocious in her attacks, but they still had a good amount of power behind each blow. Fiona wasn't so lucky and eventually managed to get hit by one of the orange alimon's paws. Buzz widened his eyes at this and rushed towards her to aid her, but Ysengrim blocked his path.

"Where do you think you're going, murderer?" Ysengrim hissed at him, her eyes narrowing with hatred.

"I told you it was an acci-" Buzz started to say. Ysengrim silenced him by striking him onto the ground.

"Enough! I don't care!" Ysengrim shouted at him. She opened her mouth so Buzz could see her dripping fangs. She wanted so much to rip this boy apart, but she wanted to make him suffer first. She wanted to expose him as the monster he truly is in front of these students. "Nothing you say will bring back Staka! She died painfully because of you! And all she was trying to do was stop the fight!"

Buzz couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt there. Ysengrim was right. Staka hadn't come to them looking for trouble. Still, he couldn't understand why Ysengrim couldn't see that it was an accident and accept it. He wasn't expecting her to stop being angry with him. He just didn't see the benefit from her actions. There was nothing she could do to him that would bring Staka back.

He realized there had to be more to this attack. He had some serious doubt that she would have wasted this time harassing him and Fiona if she truly wanted him dead. If what Stone said was true, she should have known that he couldn't transform in the school. If she had wanted him dead that badly, she would have killed him already. And yet she hadn't done so yet. She hadn't made any real attempt, outside of a couple swipes and a few lame attempts at biting. No, something else was going on here, something deeper than he had initially imagined.

It dawned on him what that was. He remembered her words so briefly ago. She wanted to expose them as the monsters they truly are. She wanted to force them to transform here. At first, there didn't seem to be any significance. But it didn't take a genius to realize what that significance was. If they were to be exposed here, it would create a lot of problems. More people would find out what they were. There would most likely be photographs and too many people to track down, so eliminating the evidence would be next to impossible. Rumors would spread outside of the school, and with photographic, even video evidence, it would be almost impossible to ignore.

And, worst of all, the army and government may become involved. Buzz was never a fan of either, but he knew enough of how manipulative and powerful they could be. If they deemed him enough of a threat, they'd have him hunted down by specially trained operatives. Veloci's men were one thing. They weren't armed to kill, but to capture. And most of the time they weren't very bright. But the military was another story. These were men that were used to spending an extended period of time fighting another group of people in very harsh conditions. And they were armed with powerful vehicles that could easily tear them to shreds. They wouldn't think twice about taking down a couple of dinosaurs.

And he didn't want to start thinking about what the government might do. He shuddered at the thought. They would surely find sneaky ways to getting what they wanted. It would be easy for them to vilify the dinosaurs in an attempt to spook the public. Or if they didn't go that route, they could secretly organize their own group of dinosaur hunters and track them down somehow. The government may be hiding some secret technology that could be used to track him down. Granted, he got the information from some shady people who were preaching about some conspiracy theory. Still, he didn't want to take that risk.

Buzz adopted an aggressive stance. Part of him felt uncomfortable in doing so. He almost never had to use this stance before. He didn't feel like himself. And the stance reminded him of some bad things he did in the past that he would rather not dwell on. But he knew he had to defend himself. "I understand if you have a beef with me. But why attack me here? No one else here you have a problem with." He gestured to the audience around them.

Ysengrim took her time to look at the other humans in the room. She was amused by their looks of confusion and fear. They had no idea what was coming for them. She had her own plans for them. "I may not have a problem with them, but I have a problem of my own. You see, coming all the way here, enraged and all, has left me feeling rather..hungry..." The students started to widen their eyes in fear. "..and I think these humans will do just fine..." She licked her lips to prove her point.

Fiona's eyes widened at this. "You wouldn't..."

Ysengrim turned her gaze to Fiona, her eyes glowing slightly brighter. "Oh I would, little girl. I would. I am a meat-eater after all. I need something to sustain myself." She looked over at the students, smirking at their quivers of fear. "Oh shut up, it's nothing personal. It's just survival."

The orange alimon, who was standing close to Fiona but not trying to attack her, said, "We guarantee a quick and painless death for those who surrender to us quickly." Her tail moved slowly up and down as if she were trying to feel something behind her. "Those who don't comply will learn more about pain than they ever wanted to know."

"No!" Fiona shouted, her temper starting to rise. "Nobody give into these..these monsters! There's a lot more of us! And only two of them!" Fiona was surprised at her own words. She couldn't tell if she was being sincere or just trying to put up a front. She turned her attention to the two theropods standing close to her. "How dare you two barge in here like you own the place and give such terrible threats! And for what? To expose us as what we really are? Well guess what, we're human and nothing more!"

Ysengrim and the orange alimon stared at her in silence for a few seconds. At first, it looked as if Fiona's rant had silenced them for good. Some expected the alimons to start leaving, though most had a feeling things were just getting started. And they turned out to be more right than they ever thought they could be. The orange alimon moved towards Fiona as Ysengrim watched with great curiosity. "I applaud your courage, Fiona. But I must warn you that such behavior won't be tolerated a second time. If you value your precious skin, you'd cool it."

The blue alimon now spoke. "And as for your ludicrous comment of you and Buzz here being just mere humans, well that's obviously a lie." Fiona and Buzz glared at her. "I know you have some..interesting DNA inside your bodies. Dinosaur DNA I take it?" Again the crowd grew active with whispering and talking. Some expressed shock while others were interested about this supposed dinosaur DNA. Ysengrim turned her head over to the audience. "Haven't you ever wondered why these two never donate blood? Have you ever wondered why they clean up any wound so carefully, even beyond what is really needed? Have you ever wondered why they skirt things like X-Rays?"

"You can't prove that we are dinosaurs." Buzz said. "And even if you did have some supposed evidence, what does that have to do with what I did to Staka?"

A dark smile curled across Ysengrim's face. "Because you killed her in your pteranodon form."

As soon as she said this, the murmuring got louder. Buzz and Fiona did their best to ignore it. But before long, they found themselves listening in. Most people were curious or disbelieving of the alimon's words. But some were not only willing to believe it, but acted as if they've known that about Buzz the entire time. They've never even seen him transform and yet they were so quick to believe he was a monster.

"Oh I knew it from the first moment I laid eyes on him!" Said a male student with a slightly gruff voice. "He is such a freak, the worst I've seen. It would explain a lot if he really was that flying monster."

"Yeah!" Said another student. "I have seen him leave class before! I bet he was off to harass some random civilian!"

"I beg to differ. I don't like Neil any more than you do, however I'm skeptical about him being a pteranodon." A female student said, her voice slightly higher pitched than Terri's. "I mean, really, are you two really that dense? You dolts seriously think that he could turn into something like that?"

"Oh shut up! You've obviously haven't seen the news!" The first male student snarled back. "If you had been paying attention, you would have known that dinosaurs have been spotted in the same places Neil has been going! Do you call that a coincidence?"

Another male student stepped up, this one a thin african american. "I have to agree with her on this. Just because he showed up there where dinosaurs were spotted, it doesn't mean anything. Just extremely lucky."

"Oh who asked you?" The second male student said, folding his arms. "Who cares what you think?"

"And who cares what you two morons think?" The african american student spat back. "Let me remind you of how you two believed aliens had landed in the school's premises and tried to convince us to rally up and fight back, and it turned out these so-called aliens was nothing more than a decorated truck."

At this, the two boys looked embarrassed. The second one attempted to counter. "B-But anyone could have made that mistake..."

The female student, who had been silent until now, sighed. "Yeah, whatever you say. Why don't you two save yourself the embarrassment and don't believe every piece of rubbish you hear."

Fiona took a step towards Ysengrim. "If you claim Buzz is a pteranodon, what do you think I am?"

Ysengrim smiled at this. "You're the spinosaurus of course. And I'm aware that you like to hang out with the stegosaurus, Caruso."

At this, Fiona blushed slightly. She didn't need to see anyone's reactions. It was already known to a lot of the students that she and Caruso were dating. "Do you have any proof of your claims? I don't think so. You are just trying to spread panic and confuse everyone."

The orange alimon started to move towards her, but Ysengrim stopped her. "Not now, Inez."

Inez looked over at Ysengrim. She was a little surprised at this. "But Ysengrim..."

"Back down! I have an idea..." Ysengrim turned her attention back to the two humans standing before her. Assaulting them hadn't worked. She did have another plan of exposing their secrets. "I'm disappointed with you two." She lied. "I was hoping you would make this easy for me. Even if you don't tell them now, they will find out someday."

"You're out of your mind..." Buzz hissed.

"Right back at you, murderer." Ysengrim said, her voice laced with hatefulness. She then turned her attention to one of the students. It was one of the younger male ones, looking more exotic than the others. She guessed he came from Asia or Japan. Without hesitation, she lunged towards him. The student screamed as she seized his arm in her jaws and lifted him up.

"What are you doing?!" Buzz cried. It was a stupid question, he knew. Darkarians would target anyone. He was just shocked that Ysengrim had changed target so quickly. He rushed towards Ysengrim in an attempt to save the boy. "Wait! Let him go!" Before he could get close, Ysengrim wrapped her tail around him and squeezed him tightly.

"Buzz!" Fiona cried. She tried to dash towards him, but Inez jumped towards her and pinned her down with her orange-clawed paws. Fiona struggled to get free, but she knew she wouldn't be able to free herself unless she transformed. She glared up at Inez.

"Don't look at me like that." Inez said. "This would have gone easier if you two had just admitted the truth."

"Why do you insist that it's the truth when you have no proof?" Fiona hissed at her.

Inez rolled her eyes. "You underestimate us."

"Quiet!" Ysengrim roared, startling both Inez and Fiona. The two fell silent, as did everyone else in the hallway. She slowly turned her attention to Buzz. In her right paw, she held the male student, her claws sticking through his shirt to keep him elevated. Her tail was wrapped tightly around Buzz's body, pinning his arms to his sides. "If you won't transform for yourself..." Buzz glared at her, baring his teeth. "..maybe you will transform to save someone in distress."

"You wouldn't..." Buzz managed to say despite his difficulty breathing.

Ysengrim smirked, but didn't answer him. She turned her head towards the male student. She licked her lips slowly as she stared into his fear-filled eyes. She moved her head towards him. Sticking out her tongue, she licked the boy's cheek to get a taste. She narrowed her eyes. "You would taste better if you were seasoned with something, but oh well."

The student stammered. "L-Let me go, please! I-I'll give you anything!"

Ysengrim didn't need to think about this. "You will give me your flesh..." She opened her jaws and placed them around his head. The student struggled to get free, but stopped as he felt the teeth pierce his skin. Blood trickled down his face. Ysengrim slowly applied pressure. It would take so little effort to crush the boy's skull. Her eyes slowly moved towards Buzz. She could see the urgency in his face. If she knew Buzz as well as she thought she did, he would transform soon to save him.

But it wasn't Buzz who was the first to respond. There was a loud shout and it didn't belong to Buzz. Instead, it was Fiona who had gotten up finally.

"No!"

Time seemed to slow down for everyone. One minute, Fiona was on the floor. The next, out of sheer desperation, she transformed her legs and kicked Inez off. She quickly got up. As soon as she was on her feet, she had completely transformed into a spinosaurus. She couldn't think of the mistake she just made. It wasn't in her thoughts. Her mind swirled with adrenaline as she stormed towards Ysengrim. She turned to her side and struck Ysengrim, sending Buzz and the boy flying to the side.

The sensation of falling this way combined with the sight of Ysengrim, who quickly recovered, lunging towards him, startled Buzz enough to transform himself. He was just as panic-driven as Fiona and the two of them hardly noticed the horrified expressions of everyone around them. Buzz slammed into Ysengrim, slashing her with his talons. He had a hard time staying in the air in the hallway, but he managed to fly. He dove towards Ysengrim, letting out a loud screech. She reared onto her hind legs and prepared to strike him, but Buzz quickly turned to one side and body slammed her. Despite having a lightweight body, he managed to knock Ysengrim off her feet.

Inez ran towards Buzz and leaped towards him. Fiona, noticing this, slammed her long jaws around her body. She pulled her head back and flung as hard as she could. Inez crashed into the ground, knocking away some of the students as her body hit the tiled floor. Fiona stared at her intently, snorting angrily. It was around this time that realization started to dawn on her. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked around. The students were staring at her and Buzz, backing away slowly.

She shook her head slowly. Her heart was starting to race. She couldn't believe what they just did. Part of her hoped it was just a dream. But she wasn't waking up. She was feeling pain. It couldn't have been a dream. She stared down at her transformed feet. Her talons were digging into the ground. She turned her head towards Buzz. He was realizing his mistake as well. He was looking at the students, mouth agape in shock. How could they have been tricked into transforming? They were doing so well.

"Monsters! They are monsters!" A student shouted.

"Ah ha!" The male student from before shouted, pointing accusingly at the two giant animals standing before them. "We were right! They were dinosaurs!"

A panicking student said, "Let's get out of here before they kill us!"

'No we won't hurt you..' Buzz tried to say. But the students weren't listening. He looked over at Fiona. 'What do we do now?'

Fiona looked over at him. 'Let's just get out of here before they call the police on us!'

Ysengrim and Inez watched as Fiona and Buzz ripped through the wall of the school and ran off across the school's premises. They watched as the students ran around, trying to get away. Some of the students stayed relatively close, trying to take pictures or making phone calls. Ysengrim smirked at this. "Perfect..."

___

Veloci was angry at himself. He didn't know why he started to feel all sensitive earlier. He had prided himself in being strong. And that meant not giving into something as pitiful as emotion. Only the strong survive in this world. He was determined to see to it that all creatures lived by this rule. Any species that did not, such as most humans, did not deserve to live this world.

And Moynihan, he couldn't forgive her for betraying him years ago. And he could never forgive the humans for corrupting her. They had poisoned her mind, made her believe that there was any benefit to loving and helping each other out. He snorted at the thought. Dinosaurs didn't need anyone to take care of them once they were of a certain age. And even when they were cared for, no one would do so much as shed a tear if one of their own had been killed. The way he saw it, emotions were invented with the sole purpose of turning a creature weak.

He stared down at the arm on the floor. He wrinkled his snout in disgust. It was another human arm that he had been given. He had stripped the meat off the bone, but only out of sheer hunger. He hated the taste of humans. All that junk food they ate seemed to have tainted their meat. There was a time he had considered using his men as a primary food source, but the taste combined with how to keep it a secret prevented him from doing so. He had a feeling the Darkarians were either doing this to annoy him, or Blizzard told them to just to make him angry.

As his thoughts turned to Blizzard, he growled to himself. Blizzard, one of his most trusted comrades, one of his highest ranking generals, had secretly been an enemy all along. If he had known before that he would betray him, he would have killed Blizzard before. He would have had him taken out by Peter on a stealth mission to ensure Blizzard wouldn't see it coming. But because of his foolishness, the traitor had almost killed him. Now here he lay, with broken bones, a barely mended tail, and covered in blood and cuts. How could it get any worse for him?

He snorted to himself. He knew better than to think like that. Knowing his luck, something worse would happen to him soon. The only positive thing that happened for him recently is that his new guard had left his post momentarily. He knew it was short lived, but he still enjoyed the little bit of solitariness he was getting.

It didn't last as long as he hoped it would. He heard footsteps coming towards the room. He growled softly. He was hoping to have more time alone than just a few minutes. He turned his head away, not wanting to look at the alimon that would come into the room. He could hear the door opening up, but he still refused to look. As the alimon came into the room, he noticed something rather strange. The back of the neck looked more furry, lacking the blade-like feathers.

His eyes widened just slightly. It was a different alimon. Curious, he looked over to see who it was. He frowned as he recognized Tana. 'Oh...it's you. Come to give me more scraps?'

Tana had a glare on her face as well as she walked into the room. "At least you are eating. If you'd like, you could starve to death." Veloci snarled at this. "I thought so."

'Aren't you supposed to be at the school?' Veloci said.

"I was, yes." Tana said. "I don't need to explain anything to you, though. You aren't a part of this pack."

Veloci smirked the best he could in dino mode. 'You let the brats go, didn't you?' Tana didn't say anything. 'You don't have to lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. You don't look like the type who could bring themselves to kill a young human. I have yet to see you dig your claws into one of your own kind.'

"I could start practicing with you." Tana threatened, hissing.

'Because I can't fight back. Let's see you take on a healthy alimon.' Veloci dared.

Tana growled at this. She couldn't lie to herself. She wasn't much of a fighter, though she wasn't defenseless. She would have done something to make Veloci shut up, but her better half told her not to. She deemed it wrong to attack someone who was defenseless. Veloci had seen enough claws and teeth recently. He didn't need anymore. She wasn't going to fall for his words. She didn't want to sully herself by attacking a member of her pack for no particular reason.

"I know you are bitter with my pack, Veloci." Tana said, her voice as calm as she could make it. Veloci said nothing as she took a few steps towards his enclosure. "Especially our leader, Blizzard. I understand he was one of the few humans you were close to." She thought about what she said, and added, "Well as close as you see fit."

'Yeah? And why do you care? You're one of them.' Veloci said.

"That I am." Tana said. "I'm also Axel's sister."

Veloci's eyes grew wide at this. 'You're related to that scoundrel who almost killed me before Blizzard got his claws into me?' Veloci could feel the rage welling up inside of him. He attempted to stand up, but fell back down quickly. His leg almost bent the wrong away. 'I should have known you were related to her. You have the same fowl stench as she does.'

Tana shook her head slowly. "I'm not proud of my relationship with her either."

Veloci was surprised at this, but not by much. 'Regardless, you're no different than the other Darkarians here.'

"That's where you're wrong. I'm not like them..." Tana said. She moved closer to the cage as Veloci watched her suspiciously. He looked shocked as she raised her paw towards the lock that kept his cage cage shut and secured. "I am going to get you out."


	33. Unexpected Turn

Fiona ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She could feel the muscles in her legs burning, and her throat was getting scratchy from thirst. She had been running for a long time. Despite that, she did her best to ignore it. She looked above her momentarily and could see Buzz flapping his wings as hard as he could. He was getting exhausted as well. She could tell from noticing his beak was open and tongue flopping out. She was glad that they were reptiles at the moment. She wouldn't want him sweating all over her as they run off.

They were way out of the city now. Behind them, they could just barely see Kittery Point. They were running in a wooded area. The road was next to them. As they ran further head, the foliage got thicker. That's what they wanted. They needed some place to hide. They didn't come out here alone. Behind them were not Ysengrim and her orange friend, but a small group of people riding on motorbikes. They weren't policemen. They recognized these people from their school. In the past, they simply ignored them, but now they were waving shotguns in the air and shouting at them.

Fiona did not pay attention to what they were saying. She just wanted to lose them. But now that these people know that she's human, she can't just find a place to transform and lie to them about where the spinosaurus went. She would need to completely lose them. But how was she going to do that? She could turn around and attack them, but that would only reinforce their belief that she and Buzz were monsters. She growled softly to herself. She wished she and Buzz had left earlier and hadn't succumbed to Ysengrim's tricks.

Looking out ahead, she noticed that the land just ended. Her eyes widened. There was a cliff over in that direction. That might be the perfect place to lose the people chasing them. 'Buzz.' She said as she tilted her head slightly upwards. She was relieved that their telepathy normally couldn't be heard by the shotgun waving gang. 'Fly up higher. If you fly up high enough, they won't be able to see you.'

Buzz blinked. 'But what about you? You're still on the ground.'

'Just fly over in that direction of the cliff.' Fiona said. 'I'm going to dive down there.'

Buzz was shocked at this. 'But you don't know how far down it goes! You could be killed!'

Fiona gestured to the group behind them. 'If the cliff doesn't kill me, they surely will. So what's the difference.'

Buzz thought about this. Fiona did have a point. The cliff was dangerous, but so were those people. If they get tired enough, they could end up slowing down and they'd both get shot. Their tough skin might deflect the bullets, but he didn't know for how long, and he wasn't even sure if it was true or not. He had a flight advantage and could soar above the clouds and stay up there for a time. But Fiona, the cliff might be her best chance at losing the bikers.

'Well alright Fiona. If you think that's going to work...' Buzz took in a deep breath. He turned his head up towards the sky. Flapping even harder, he pushed himself upward towards the sky. As he did so, he could hear the bikers down below shouting at him.

"Neil is getting away! Shoot him down!"

"Let's teach that freak a lesson about flight! What goes up, well it must come down!"

Buzz screeched as a gun sounded off. A single bullet grazed the side of his wing. It didn't do much damage, but it was enough to make him cry out in pain. He frantically flapped his wings to get up higher. More bullets shot out after him. Though tired, he quickly manuevered his body and managed to dodge most of them. One did hit him in the tip of his wing. He grunted, but managed to stay in the air. He couldn't let a bit of pain slow him down.

Once he was up high enough, the bullets stopped. He looked down below. He had better eyesight as a pteranodon than he did as a human. He could see the group of humans down below. They were all wearing leather jackets and were troublemakers at the school. But they rarely paid any attention to him and his friends before, outside of some bullying. Now they were trying to kill him and Fiona. He wanted to swoop down and attack them, but he didn't want to get shot again.

He noticed the bikers were pissed off that they had lost him, the leader in particular. The leader reminded him of McFinn, but less fat and more muscular. He wondered if they were somehow related. The leader pointed in the direction that Fiona had gone and they changed course, just slightly, and went after her. He looked out further ahead and saw a yellow moving shape. He knew that had to be Fiona. He started flying in that direction.

Fiona was moving as fast as she could, but the biker gang was getting close. Buzz's eyes widened. He wasn't sure if she was going to make it over in time or not. Fiona was about a hundred feet away from the cliff, and with each stride she got much closer. But the biker gang could move even faster. They revved their engines as they sped up even more. The leader took out his shotgun and blasted at Fiona. The spinosaurus roared in pain as the bullet struck her in the tail. Blood started to splatter on the road and some of it got on the leader's face. Fiona continued to run. When another member of the gang shot at her, she moved her head out of the way and the bullet brushed by, barely touching her.

"That little sneak!" The member shouted. "She dodged my bullet! Well let's see her dodge it again!"

Another blast, another bullet sprang towards Fiona. She veered off to the side and managed to dodge it again. She could hear their shouts of frustrating, but she did her best to ignore them. Her eyes were focused on the cliff ahead. She had to move faster. She could feel her heart racing quickly. She had to get there. She had to make it. She was almost there. The bullets still came for her. Some of them hit her in the tail or legs. She still pushed forward. Now she was just ten feet away. She was almost there...

As soon as the edge reached her feet, she jumped down. She thought it would be a good distance. Her body could handle somewhat long falls because she was lighter than the rest of the team, minus Buzz of course. But to her shock and horror, the cliff wasn't even a cliff at all. It was just a few feet high. She roared as she landed in a thick mud pile that waited for her on the bottom. She growled as she stood up, covered in mud. Her feet were firmly planted in the ground and it was hard for her to move. She struggled for a moment, then stopped when she heard many clicks at once. She turned her head over and saw the gang had caught up to her. And each one had their shotguns leveled at her.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, Fiona." The leader said, who had a slight smirk on his face. "I admit I was starting to like you before. Smart and pretty, I was even going to ask you out." He paused for a moment, then said, "But then I found out the truth about you. You and your boyfriend there..."

'He isn't my boyfriend!' Fiona blurted out, allowing her telepathy to be heard. In response, she was shot at. She roared in pain as the bullet slashed her leg. Warm blood dripped down.

"I don't care." The leader said. "Either way, you're just a freak. And mother nature doesn't take too kindly to freaks..." His voice got darker and more menacing as he said this. "But don't take it personally..I'm doing this for the good of the town. Monsters like you cannot be allowed to live."

Fiona hissed at him. But that didn't stop him from gesturing to the other people. Their guns pointed directly at her. She could see their fingers going for the triggers. She closed her eyes tightly and looked away. She could not believe it was going to end like this. She had handled herself well against Veloci and his men. She fought off many mutantsaurs and other dinosaur transformers like herself. Now she was going to be killed by a group of bikers, bullies. People that weren't even trained like Veloci's men. She just couldn't believe her horrible luck.

Just then, one of the bikers led out a scream. Everyone looked over at him, but he was gone. In his place, his bike was on the floor, part of it dent. A pool of blood lay where he had sat on the machine. A blood trail lead up to the foliage. A second later, his head was tossed aside and it landed next to the rest of the bikers. Some of the people shivered and took a step back. But the leader narrowed his eyes and got up from his motorbike.

"I'll deal with you later, Fiona." The leader said as he headed towards the brush. He leveled up his shotgun and pulled the trigger. There was a loud screech of pain and he smirked. Believing he got whatever it was, he turned around. But then something grabbed him from behind and slashed his throat open with huge claws. He tried to gasp, but blood poured from this mouth. He fell to the ground in a thud.

The attacker let out a loud roar at the other bikers. They screamed and rushed to get their bikes up off the ground. But before they could ride off, another one showed up. A huge beast struck against one of them. The biker crashed into the others and they all fell to the ground. One of them cried out as a sickening crack could be heard. Their leg had been broken. The second beast came over and began slaughtering them with the help of the first beast. Blood was strewn all over the floor. Body parts were severed and dropped on the ground.

Fiona couldn't see what was going on. By the time this was happening, a bright light shined overhead. It was the sun. The cloud that had covered it had moved beyond the sun. Now the bright light obscured her vision. She couldn't see the carnage taking place above her. She could hear horrific screams, disgusting splatters, crunching sounds, and the smell of death filled her nostrils. By the time the sun was behind another cloud, the carnage was already over. She looked up. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight. There wasn't much left of the bikers. Their bodies were ripped to shreds and organs were splattered all over the place. She hissed softly and turned away. How could this have happened?

Overhead, she saw Buzz fly down towards her. He landed nearby and looked at her with something of a smirk on his face. 'Got yourself in a bit of a sticky situation he?' He would have chuckled if he had a beak. He noticed Fiona didn't appreciate his humor at the moment. 'What's wrong, Fiona? I'm only kidding...whoa...' He noticed the massacre that had taken place. 'Fiona...did..did you do that?'

Fiona shook her head. 'No it wasn't me. I was stuck here. Something attacked them.'

'An alimon?' Buzz asked.

'I think so. I think I saw a glimpse of long feathers and long necks.' Fiona said. She growled. 'Oh if only the stupid sun weren't in my eyes!'

Just then, they heard a rustle over to their left side. Out came two familiar alimons, Donovan and Stone. The pair looked at the two with concern, with Stone's expression more evident. Relieved it was just these two, Buzz and Fiona went back into human form. Fiona was still strapped in the mad. With Donovan and Stone's help, she was pulled free. She wiped off the mud, looking disgusted. But she was glad that she was at least alive. Things could have been a lot worse.

"Are you two alright? We heard shots." Stone said, his golden eyes wide with worry. He looked the two up and down. He noticed the injuries. "Oh my..they shot you didn't they?"

Buzz nodded his head. "Yeah...We were chased by some people from the school."

Stone gasped. "But why would they do that?"

Fiona narrowed her eyes as memories ran through her mind. "Ysengrim is why. She forced us to reveal our secret. We tried to escape, but some bullies came after us with their guns. How they managed to hide those guns from the school is beyond me, but..."

"So your secret has been revealed." Donovan spoke softly. He shook his head slowly. "This is going to present to us a huge problem." He turned his head to Stone. "I suggest we vacate the area before more of them show up."

"Yes, quite true." Stone said, nodding his head.

Before they began their departure, Buzz and Fiona both noticed something about them. There was something on their claws and jaws. Their eyes widened when they realized what it was. Blood stained their bodies. They both took a step back. Could these two have been the ones that killed the biker gang? They felt confused and, to an extent, betrayed. They thought Rock Rangers didn't kill humans. The Darkarians sure did, however. Were they misled this whole time?

Confused that Buzz and Fiona weren't following, Stone stopped in his tracks. He turned his head towards them. "Why aren't you two following us?"

"Stone, why do you have blood on you?" Fiona said, her voice somewhat accusatory.

Stone blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Your mouth! Your claws! They're stained with blood!" Buzz shouted, pointing at Stone and Donovan. "Why?"

Donovan replied coolly, "This blood came from Darkarians."

Fiona and Buzz's eyes widened and they settled down a bit. Fiona looked over at the dead bodies up on the ledge above her. "You mean, you two didn't do that?"

Donovan narrowed his eyes at the ripped up human bodies. He shook his head once. "No, we didn't do that."

"Why?" Stone asked.

"Because I saw something attack them, something that looked oddly enough like alimons. And then they vanished." Fiona said. Stone and Donovan looked at each other in confusion. They were obviously confused as well. "It was all a blur, but I'm sure I saw them. They were the right size, they moved quickly enough, they were strong enough..I even saw the feathers. It had to be alimons!"

"Darkarians perhaps?" Stone said, taking a step forward. "They would be cruel enough to do something like this."

"But then why did they leave?" Buzz asked.

"Yeah, they left after they killed those bikers." Fiona said. "They didn't even come after me."

"I agree. Darkarians are not the type to simply ignore prey that's an easy target, especially if they were given orders to kill." Donovan explained. "If they are Darkarians, they are calling for reinforcements. If not, they might be Rock Rangers who are overeager to help out. Either way, we should leave this area in case they decide to come back."

"Great idea, old friend." Stone said. He gestured to Fiona and Buzz to follow them.

As they started to leave, one of the shadowy creatures emerged from the brush carefully, not wanting to get noticed. A second head popped out and they watched together as the group started to leave the area. The shadows obscured their appearance, but their shape was unmistakeably alimon. Their eyes glowed as they looked at each other and gave a single nod. Whatever their mission had been, it was a complete success. Their long feathers were raised up slightly in self satisfaction.

"Should we go after them?" One of the mysterious alimons asked.

The other one shook his head. "No, we must return. If the time comes, we will reveal ourselves to them. For now, it's best that Blizzard and Stone don't know our motives."

"But what if..."

"All in due time, my friend. All in due time..." And with that, the shadowy alimons disappeared into the distance.

___

'This is so disgusting...' Veloci hissed to himself. He was laying across Tana's back since he was unable to walk on his own. His back was covered in human and alimon feces. The combined smell was so wretched he found it difficult to breath through his nose. But even breathing through his mouth was problematic. He could just barely taste the horrible stuff. 'Why did you have to cover us up with such..vile material?'

Tana sighed. "I explained it to you before. It's to mask our smell. The other Darkarians aren't going to be too worried about a smell that reminds them of death." She was getting a little annoyed by Veloci, but she did her best to ignore him. It wasn't her idea to save him anyway. She was only doing it for the good of the world. Her people were going too far.

'I know about masking smells.' Veloci said, narrowing his eyes. 'But I never thought to do it like this. I want to hide my scent, not make it more noticeable!'

"Shut up!" Tana commanded, her teeth bared. "We are getting closer to dangerous territory."

Veloci wanted to snap at her, but managed to stop himself. His past experiences with the alimons had taught him not to be so hasty with attacking one. He looked out towards where she was gesturing. They were currently standing behind a thick pillar in another part of Raptor Dyne. They were getting closer to a secret exit he had installed in the facility. Out in front of them were a large group of Darkarians, mostly male. They were talking about something, while a couple were investigating his equipment that was installed there.

And there, right next to the alimon in the middle, was the button to access the exit. He narrowed his eyes. Just how were they going to get there from here, and without being seen? He looked up towards Tana. She looked just as confused as he was. He hissed at this. Of course the alimon didn't know her way out of there. She was probably not even trying to rescue him at all. She just wanted to have him killed and eaten.

'I knew I couldn't trust you. You bring me all the way out here just to have my life taken away, didn't you?' He hissed at the yellow alimon.

"Shh!" Tana hissed. "I'm working on a plan to get around this."

'Oh yeah right!' Veloci shouted. 'Like I should believe a word you say. The only good you did me was get me out of that cage, but that might as well have been a death sentence, because now I can't go anywhere without help! I should have...'

"Quiet before I slap you!" Tana hissed under her breath. Despite her cowardly behavior towards the Darkarians, she could sometimes be braver and tougher if she needed to be. She was not as weak as everyone perceived her to be. "We can get out of this."

She studied the scene before her. The Darkarians out ahead were mostly just talking. Some of them were doing actual work, but it was just testing equipment. This part of Raptor Dyne did have some considerable level of alimon activity. But not as much as the center where Veloci's main monitors were. Still, that didn't make this area any safer. One wrong move, and she could be captured and punished for bringing Veloci out. And she wasn't sure how long her scent mask was going to work before one of the Darkarians noticed something was wrong. She had to think of something quickly.

There was no way she could get to the button without being scene. These Darkarians weren't going anywhere anytime soon. She narrowed her eyes and scanned the area for some kind of way out. She then noticed something off in the corner, nearer to them than the Darkarians. It was a medium sized square opening. She had not noticed this before. She was wondering what it was, but she soon got her answer. Another Darkarian, a female, came over with a black bag. She stood over the hole and dumped it out. Tana recognized the material as scrap bones from corpses that were stripped clean of meat.

That was their ticket to freedom, she knew. The chute would have went into the water nearby, where ooze was usually spilled out by Veloci and his men. She told Veloci to be as quiet as possible as she began making her way towards the chute opening. She kept her eyes on the Darkarians, careful not to attract their attention. Once she got close enough to the chute, she jumped down. Her plan at quietness failed when she hit her head. She roared in pain as she and Veloci fell down the chute.

"What was that?" One of the Darkarians shouted.

"Over here!" Shouted a female. "The chute!"

The group went over to the chute. They sniffed at it, and they recoiled, the foul stench of feces filling their nostrils. But some of them with higher tolerance continued to smell the air, and they snorted in anger as they recognized the scent. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for Tana, they only recognized one of the scents out of the mess.

"It's Veloci!" The Darkarian hissed. "He must have escaped somehow!"

"But he was lame. His leg..." A softer voice said. "..how could he have gotten anywhere?"

"Well obviously he had help!" The Darkarian shouted. He stomped his feet and barked orders. "Go tell Blizzard and round up some of our best scouts! We must get him back before he reaches the Dino Squad!"

From at the bottom of the chute, Veloci and Tana could hear the siren going off inside Raptor Dyne. Even from below, they could see the red tinge, indicating that Raptor Dyne was going into emergency mode. They knew that they had been spotted and a search time would follow them, or cute them off somewhere. Luckily Raptor Dyne had multiple exits, so they had more than one way to go.

Tana ignored the smell of death that was all around her. She paid no mind to the skeletons and uneaten organs that littered this place. She just continued heading down, carrying Veloci on her back. She knew she was doing the right thing, but she also knew it was a huge risk. She just hoped that Axel wasn't going to be the first to find her. She didn't want to know what her sister would do to her if she found out she was betraying the Darkarians.

'Where are you taking me?' Veloci asked after a long silence.

"To the Dino Squad." Tana replied.

Veloci's eyes widened slightly. 'Why are you taking me to my mortal enemies?'

"So they can heal you." Tana explained to him. Before Veloci could protest, she countered, "And don't try to talk your way out of this. I can easily kill you if I wanted to and you are in no position to run away. Oh maybe in a week or so, but not now. Right now, you are an easy target. So which would you rather have? A trip to your enemies and a chance to live, or to be captured and killed by Darkarians?"

Veloci hissed softly. He knew she was right. He didn't have much of a choice here. Still, he was none too thrilled about the prospect of going to the Dino Squad, especially considering their history together. 'I doubt they would want to help me...'

"Oh don't worry about that..." Tana said, a small smirk appearing on her face. "..if I know Stone as well as I think I do, you'll receive the help you'll need."


	34. The Unforeseen

The red velociraptor hissed in disapproval. Veloci wasn't looking forward to running into his enemies, especially like this. He considered it weakness to go waltzing to his mortal enemies' lighthouse and ask for help. He didn't need their help. He could recover on his own. After all, he was a dinosaur, not some weak human. If he were only able to walk on his own, he'd get up and run away. He was infuriated that Tana would even think of bringing him to the Dino Squad. Obviously, she wasn't well aware of their history together. He doubted the Dino Squad would even want to help him, and, as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't blame them.

Besides, it wasn't like they could do much to help him anyway. They didn't have as big of a laboratory as he did and he doubted their medical capabilities. He smirked mentally as he thought about how pathetic much of human medicine was when compared to the natural abilities and remedies of the dinosaurs. Humans have attempted to mimic the healing powers of nature, but they never completely succeed. It humored him how pathetic the human race could really be. Many of them couldn't even handle a tiny scratch, while his kind could walk around and fight with a large gash in their leg. There weren't many humans that could do that, or be willing to. They use the excuse of pain, but to him that was just lame. A true fighter would not let pain get in their way of battling.

His expression softened slightly. Wouldn't that mean that he was weak as well? He wasn't able to walk because of the intense pain he was feeling every time he moved his tail or tried to move his leg. If just laying there out of pain was considered weakness in his eyes, then, essentially, he viewed himself as weak. He was feeble because he lost a fight against an alimon not once, but twice. So much for being a proud, robust dinosaur. If he couldn't even handle his own against a predator that wasn't hugely larger than he was, what good was he at all as a dinosaur?

He shook his head. No, that wasn't true at all. He wasn't a powerless velociraptor. He shouldn't be too hard on himself for losing. He won many other fights in the past, and could handle his own out there. The reason why he couldn't get up wasn't really because of the pain, he realized. It was because his leg was broken. Blizzard had broken it himself. No one could blame him or call him weak because of that. Even though he could withstand the pain, or so he believed, he wouldn't be able to put weight on it because his leg would bend in a weird way, preventing any movement.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tana suddenly stopped and looked around. He looked at her face. Her eyes were slightly wide and had a tinge of nervousness to them. She tilted her head up and sniffed around. Veloci realized that someone must be down here. He didn't hear any alimons following them yet. It had only been a few minutes, so no alimon was assigned to come after them yet. So how could be down here? Did the Darkarians really need a member down here in all this feces and corpses?

Tana let out a soft hiss as she heard footsteps. She was thinking what Veloci had. Someone must already have been down here when they jumped through. She recognized the scent and realized it was going to put a dent in her plan. She looked around to try to find another escape route. The area she was standing in now only had two paths. Unfortunately, due to the strong aroma of death and decay, it was difficult for her to determine exactly where the scent was coming from. She looked at the right path, then the left. She growled softly and quickly made her decision.

She turned and headed down the left path. As she headed down as quickly as she could without harming Veloci, she was relieved when she found that she had chosen the correct path. The scent of the Darkarian she detected moments ago was getting fainter. But she didn't want to waste any time or take any chances. She ran down the path swiftly. She stopped about a hundred feet down and banked a right to another path and headed down this way. She believed this to be the tube usually used for primordial ooze. Her suspicions were correct when she found the large valve that closed the tube off from the rest of the area, preventing the ooze from dripping.

She noticed a few orange drops, further confirming her suspicions. They couldn't reach the other side easily, but she knew there was a way to get in. Surely Veloci would need to do repairs once in a while. She looked over and noticed an opening. It was small, but she could just cut an opening, which she did with her claws, though crudely. She squeezed in, ignoring any scratches that resulted from it. The tube was wide for the moment, but would narrow as they would get closer to the exit. She headed down the tube nonetheless.

'It's going to be a tight fit up ahead.' Veloci noted. 'I've been down here before. It's going to be barely big enough for us to crawl through.' He didn't mention it, but he was secretly glad that there was no left over ooze here. He didn't know what the effects would have been on the alimon he was riding.

"Yes I know. But this is our best chance at escape." Tana said. She looked up as the ceiling of the tube rapidly got lower. "But yes, it's going to be quite interesting to see how we get through this."

Soon, the tube was so narrow that she couldn't stand up all the way. She had to drop down and began to crawl through it. The progress was painfully slow. Sometimes it was difficult to move at all. She was getting very nervous cramped up in here. It wasn't just because being stuck in small spaces for extended periods of time make her nervous, like with any alimon, but she was worried that the Darkarian she had detected would see her down here and attack her from a distance with a gun.

She could see the light up ahead. The light was small, but it was still there. She knew they were getting closer to being home free. She continued crawling to the best of her ability. But as she got closer, she began noticing a disturbing pattern. The tube began to creak. At first, it was only slightly, but the sound got louder and more pronounced the further she went down. Unable to see anything but the light and a bit of the tunnel, it was hard for her to determine if they had moved or not by sight. But she could tell by feeling. The tube seemed like it was moving downwards.

Her eyes widened as realization hit her. "The tube...it's going to collapse!"

'What?' Veloci hissed sharply. 'You mean to tell me that we're too heavy for this thing? It's supposed to handle large amounts of weight!'

"Well either the material isn't all it's cracked up to me or the Darkarians did something!" Tana cried. "But that doesn't matter now! We're going to fall!"

She moved forward fast, wanting to get as close to the exit as she could before the tube broke off. She managed to get about twenty feet further down. The opening itself looked like it was only an additional fifteen feet down. But before she could get down any further, the tube broke off. She and Veloci roared in shock as they plummeted downward to their fate that they couldn't even see. There was a loud splashing sound and the swift feeling of something cold. Then they couldn't breathe at all.

Water filled up the tube instantly as they sank to the bottom of the water. It wasn't very deep, but that didn't matter to them as they were trapped completely submerged. Tana struggled to get herself free, but found it difficult. Veloci's blood sifted in the water and started to make it hard for her to see clearly underwater. She pulled her head back and slammed against the side of the metal, but found herself unable to break it.

'The screw! Remove the screw!' Veloci cried. Tana looked over at him, confused. Veloci used his arm to point at what he was talking about. There was a loosened screw next to them. 'Remove it. It will weaken the tube. This area had always been weaker than the rest.'

Tana turned her head towards the screw. She didn't know how it could help them, but she complied to Veloci's demand. She reached down with her paw, grabbed it, and pulled it out. As soon as she did that, the tube bent slightly and just barely started to break apart. She tensed the muscles in her back legs and, using as much strength as she could, smashed against the tube. There was a loud creaking sound as the tube started to break in half. As soon as there was an opening big enough for them to swim through, she went through it.

Tana's lungs were burning with the desire for oxygen. She looked up towards the surface. She began swimming up. When she reached the surface and broke her head through the water, she took in a sharp intake of air. Her lungs soon stopped burning as she caught her breath. She could hear Veloci gasping and coughing as well. She shook her head and started swimming towards shore. The lighthouse was still a long way from there. She remembered there were multiple primordial dump tubes, and this one led just outside of Boston. But that didn't deter her.

She quickly got to shore and climbed out. She shook her body to get rid of the excess water. "Now to get to the lighthouse." She said as she started to walk way, carrying the injured red velociraptor on her back.

Back in the collapsed tunnel, a single alimon stood where the tube had broken. It was a female, grey with a black mane and black spot on her chest. Her red orange eyes surveyed the damage she had caused, several nails being held in her jaws. An evil smile spread across her face. "No one could survive that.. A shame we lost Veloci, but we cannot tolerate traitors. So long, Tana..." With that, the female Darkarian turned and ran back to report to Blizzard what had happened.

___

Moynihan sat in front of one of her computers. She had her hands on the keyboard and was typing in some commands. After she was finished, she moved the mouse over and clicked on a button. There was a low humming sound. She looked overhead and out the windows that surrounded the top of the lighthouse. There was a brief light orange flash and something shot out. Once it disappeared, she sighed in relief. She wiped her brow and got up from her seat. She wasn't sure if she could put up the shield in time.

It had been a few hours since they got back from the school. She had been up there, fumbling through the controls to put up a shield. The reason was to block outside signals from detecting where her students were, though at the same time allowing them to get access to the outside. It was her own personal anonymous shield, something she had been working on in the past. It had been in use before. It was one of the equipment Michelle had destroyed, but helped to rebuild. This was the first test run. She was happy that it was a success.

She was relieved that Stone and Donovan had come when they had. The Darkarians that had invaded the school finally left. Unfortunately, several students were found killed. Stone and Donovan didn't remain too long. They managed to kill a Darkarian, but the others had escaped. They found her and informed her of what had happened. Moynihan immediately left and came back to the lighthouse, where the other students were waiting for her. When she was informed that Buzz and Fiona accidentally revealed their identities, Moynihan went to work to setting up the shield.

Luckily, she had told everyone to keep their cellphones off until she set up the shield. She imagined that, if anyone believed the students' stories about those two turning into dinosaurs, they would be tracked down. Cellphones were a common method of doing so. She had worked as fast as she could. She wished she could have done it faster, but all that mattered now was that the shield was up. She proceeded downstairs to tell her students the good news.

When she came to the living room, she walked over to where her students were sitting. The alimons and the Raptor Dyne members were still in the small lab below them. She opened her mouth and was about to speak, but something caught her attention. Her students were watching the television. As she came closer, she noticed it was the news. Her eyes widened when she saw what was being displayed. It was a dead body. She recognized it as one of her past students, a trouble making student named John Lance. He had been ripped up by something sharp and large.

Moynihan approached closer. She stood by the chair where Max was sitting. She looked down at him. He looked very concerned. She wanted to say something to him, but couldn't think of anything. She looked back at the screen, wondering what the news reporters were going to say about this killing. She looked over at Fiona and Buzz and noticed they were looking very nervous. Did they witness this boy being killed? She looked back at the screen. But what the news reporter was going to say would take her by complete surprise and horror.

"I'm standing in front of the body of John Lance. His body was discovered a few hours ago. Eye witness states that they were chasing what looked to be two large dinosaurs. Here is a photograph provided by our anonymous witness."

The television screen then flashed and showed a photograph. The photo contained a clear image of the group of bikers, John in the front, chasing a golden spinosaurus, and overhead was a green pteranodon. The image was taken from a distance away, but close enough that they could recognize John's face and what creatures they were after. After a few seconds, the image was minimized to a corner on the tv screen. The news reporter continued his story.

"It may be hard to believe, but it is strongly believed that these dinosaurs were responsible for the deaths of these students. Whether or not they are real or robots is irrelevant. The police are investigating the crime scene now, and will be dispatching troops to go after these dinosaurs. Rest assured that they will do all they can to bring these monsters down. This is Mark Penny, signing off. Back to you, Larry."

There was a stunned silence in the room. No one spoke for many minutes. They stared at each other, the same expressions on their faces, and the same thoughts running through their minds. The attack patterns on the body clearly match a Darkarian's. They had seen enough of them to know that. But these people clearly didn't know that. Now they think that Fiona and Buzz were the ones that ripped those two boys apart. The unsettled reality sank in, filling their minds with dread. What were they going to do now?

Surely the police would now be patrolling the city with great vigilance. They might even call in someone like the army to help aide them if their task became too difficult. Buzz and Fiona weren't even sure if they could go into town in human mode since many students had seen them transform. Out of all of them, they felt the most uneasy. Who would all believe those students' claims? How many enemies did they make because of this? Was there any place in town that was safe to go anymore?

The concerns were not only befalling those two, but the others as well. Some people may start accusing them simply out of association. Terri might now be bullied because she's Fiona's sister. Max, Caruso, Rodger, and Michelle may also be given a hard time due to their friendships with Fiona and Buzz. They wondered if they would be attacked by the bikers' parents, seeking revenge for the death of their children. They wondered if the other students would rally up against them, and kill them, believing them to be the monsters.

Would anyone be willing to sit down and listen to their story? Would they be willing to see that they were not the monsters here, but the alimons were? Somehow, they doubted it. When people panic, they lose the ability to listen to reason. They jump to conclusions too easily and might lash out in self defense, even if there was no reason to. They understood what had changed today. As of today, they were no longer safe to go into public. It was just too dangerous. And their parents' knew this; they had called their parents and told them about what had happened. Now that the shield was up, they could give their parents the full details.

Buzz was the first one to speak. "So..what are we going to do? We can't go into town anymore. They might shoot us!"

"I'm not sure if they will, Buzz." Caruso said, leaning against the couch. "They don't know for sure if you're the pteranodon or not."

"What about the people who saw me transform? There were well more than one." Buzz pointed out. "Are they just going to say they were all crazy?"

Caruso shrugged his shoulders. "They might. I mean, who is going to believe them?"

Rodger thought about this. "Caruso may have a point here. No one took video of you two transforming, so what proof do they have?"

"You might have a point there..." Buzz said. He narrowed his eyes. Something was still bugging him about the whole thing. Something told him that he should still exercise caution. "...still, better safe than sorry."

"What do you think, Ms. Moynihan?" Terri asked, glancing over at their teacher and mentor. Moynihan looked over at her, her expression urging her to continue. "Do you think it's best if we don't go into town anymore?"

"Yeah..at least until this blows over." Michelle said. She was just as worried as everyone else, even though she didn't show it as much. She looked directly at her adoptive mother, or grandmother, whichever. "Personally I think we should be fine so long as we use disguises so no one would recognize us."

"Good point." Moynihan said. She thought about their current situation. Judging from how she put up the shield, it was clear she was extremely worried for her students. She had listened to what they were saying and understood both views. She didn't want them to do anything that might get them caught, but at the same time, there was the chance that no one would believe those students. She thought about what they could do. It was difficult to say. When she finally thought of something, she said, "I think it is best we all follow Buzz's ideas...as well as Michelle's."

Michelle and Buzz looked at each other. They were both confused. Combine their ideas? How could they do that? They both looked back at Moynihan, expecting a better explanation. Buzz voiced his opinion immediately. "I'm sorry, Ms. Moynihan, but how can we go into town...and then not go into town?"

Moynihan chuckled light-heartedly. "Dear boy, were you not listening to what Michelle was saying?"

"I...." Buzz started to say.

Moynihan interrupted him abruptly. "She was saying that we should use disguises, not walk out in broad daylight. Really, do you think she's that stupid?"

Buzz was taken aback by this comment. The other students were as well. "But I never said she was stupid. I just didn't understand."

"Of course not." Moynihan said, her voice becoming a little bitter. "Because you don't listen. You just jump to conclusions like you always do, like how you and Rodger assumed Michelle was a spy without giving her a chance to explain."

Having heard enough, Max said, "Moynihan, I think it's you now who isn't listening." He winced when he saw Moynihan glare in his direction. He thought he saw a hint of a glow in her eyes. That brought back bad memories from when Moynihan was corrupted and wild. He gulped and continued, "I don't mean to offend you. I'm just saying that Buzz didn't realize what Michelle meant. He wasn't calling her stupid. You were putting words in his mouth."

"Oh so now you're accusing me?" Moynihan said, her voice raising in volume and in anger. She lowered her head slightly towards him. "I should..."

"Calm down." Said a voice. Moynihan shot her head towards the source. It was Stone, walking towards her in his human form. "Cease your actions, Moynihan. Calm yourself, before you do something you might regret."

Moynihan glared at him. She watched as he got closer to her. She said nothing, but her expression was still that of anger. It wasn't rage, but it would get there pretty soon if she continued to let herself become angry. Stone placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Moynihan blinked a few times, then shook her head. Her mind cleared and her angry expressions disappeared.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Moynihan said, rubbing her head.

Stone stared at her for a moment. Then he said, "I think I know..."

Moynihan looked over at Stone. "What?"

"Tell me, have you suffered anything traumatic recently, something that changed the way you thought?"

"Well there was the time when Veloci brainwashed me."

"Did you go insane?"

"I hate to admit it, but yes."

"Were you cured?"

"I...thought I was. Fiona and Caruso helped me regain my senses. But I admit I haven't been completely myself since then..."

Stone nodded his head. "Just as I thought. I think it's clear what is happening here." He looked at Moynihan with a serious expression on his face. "You were never completely cured."

"What? But she hasn't gone feral since..." Max started to say.

Stone shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Whatever Veloci did to her...some of it has remained behind. How much, I cannot really say. But her increased temper...which I hadn't seen before, that's an obvious hint that there was some everlasting damage, stuff that never completely left her mind."

Moynihan started to look worried. Did this mean she was going to go feral again? Was she going to hurt her students like she had before? She remembered how she almost tore out Fiona's throat in a fit of rage. Was that going to happen again? "Are you saying that I'm going to become a wild animal again? I can't bear to have that happen to me again. I don't want to hurt my students..."

"I understand..." Stone said. "I just don't want..."

But now it was his turn to be interrupted. He looked over and noticed Cobalt rushing towards him. His youngest son stopped in front of him, panting. "Dad! Urgent news!"

"What? What is it, Cobalt?" Stone said.

Cobalt coughed a few times as he tried to catch his breath. "It's..it's...it's Veloci!"

___

"I don't know why I have to do this." The gray female alimon, the same one that destroyed the pipe, said. She was back at the pipe, now gathering up all the screws and placing them in one corner.

Standing next to her was a dark sky blue female alimon. She smirked as she stared at the gray female. "You destroyed the pipe, so you get to fix it."

The gray female grumbled. "I don't see why I can't just leave it like it is."

"Because the humans will spot it and wonder what happened." The dark blue alimon replied. She looked down at the screws, examining them. "Are these all the screws?"

The gray alimon rolled her eyes. "Yes. I counted them." She turned her head towards the water below them. "Now all that's left is to fetch the tube that broke off." She turned to the blue female, who was now staring at her, a smirk on her face. After a few moments of silence, she said, "What? Do you expect me to go down there? I just spent my time finding screws! You can go into the water and get the stupid pipe!"

The blue alimon chuckled in response. "Oh Volf, you always crack me up." She took a few steps towards Volf, cocking her head mischievously. "What is the matter? Afraid of a little water? Think you're going to break your little claws?"

Volf narrowed her eyes and growled. "Cannibal, if I knew I wouldn't get into trouble, I'd clobber you!"

Cannibal sneered. "But you can't, now can you. Now go into the water and get the pipe."

Volf got up and raised her tail in defiance. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"According to Blizzard..." Cannibal said arrogantly. "..I can. He made me in charge remember?" Cannibal looked at her claws, flexing them. She turned her eyes towards Volf. "And that means I can tell you to do what I want. And I say go down there and get that pipe, or I will report your insubordination to Blizzard. I'm sure he'll be pleased."

Volf snapped her head up, eyes widened. She wanted to argue against Cannibal, but somehow she knew it would be futile. She turned her head away and sighed in disgust. "Okay fine. I'll do it."

"I knew you would listen to reason." Cannibal sneered, watching as Volf jumped into the water.

It had been a long time since Volf last swam. It was a little awkward for her, but she quickly remembered how to do it. Using her strong limbs, she pushed herself towards the bottom of the water. It wasn't very deep, so it didn't take her long to find the pipe. It was laying on the ground, its weight pushing it into the muddy bottom. In a few seconds, she was close enough to touch the pipe. She grabbed onto it and pulled herself closer. She looked around, trying to find a place to grab it. She move towards the bottom and pushed her front paws underneath.

As she started to lift it up, something caught her attention. There was something she noticed, or rather noticed something wasn't there. Where were the bodies of that traitorous Tana and the freed Veloci? The pipe would have crushed them and it was obvious it hadn't moved anywhere. Volf paused what she was doing and looked around, her mind on full alert. She lifted the pipe up high enough to look underneath. There were no bodies to be found there. She let go and swam in circles around the pipe, continuously trying to find Veloci and Tana, but coming up empty handed.

Eyes widening, she left the pipe be and swam back up towards the surface. Her head broke through the water. She pulled her head back and opened her mouth wide. She took in a sharp breath of air. She shook the water off her head and looked up at Cannibal, who was laying on the edge looking down at her.

"Where is the pipe?" Cannibal asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"There's no time for that!" Volf shouted. "We have to report to Blizzard now!"

"Why?" Cannibal said, uninterested in what Volf was talking about. It was probably just another false alarm.

"Veloci and Tana are gone! They escaped!" Volf cried out.

This got Cannibal's attention. She swiveled her head towards Volf. "What?!"


	35. Unwanted Visitor

Volf jumped out of the water and landed by Cannibal. Her body was coated in water. She would normally shake herself off, but the urgency of the situation took a higher priority. She turned her head sharply towards Cannibal, her teeth bared. "I can't stand here long and talk to you about it. We must go report this!"

Cannibal scoffed at her. She looked away from the gray alimon. "You can go report to Blizzard. I'll go and search for them some more."

"I already looked for them!" The gray alimon yelled. "What makes you think you can do better?"

The blue alimon sneered evilly at her. "Because I'm not you."

"What did you say?!" Volf growled, infuriated with Cannibal.

She rushed towards the blue alimon, intent on putting her teeth in her flesh. Cannibal only smiled at her, turned around, and jumped down. Volf, not wanting to fall into the water, stumbled to stop herself. Her paws slipped across the pipe and she fell onto the ground. The momentum caused her to slide across the pipe and stopped by the edge. She shook her head and looked over the edge. Cannibal was already gone, having dived under the water.

Volf huffed heavily, snorting air out her nostrils rapidly as her mind and heart filled with rage. Cannibal was always trying to get on her nerves. And it wasn't just her. The blue alimon rarely got along with other members of Raptor Dyne. In her opinion, the only one worse than Cannibal was Axel. She knew not many would disagree with her. Axel was well feared among the pack. So was Cannibal, but to a lesser extent, and she didn't understand why. But she didn't dwell on it.

She shouldn't be surprised at Cannibal's behavior. The Darkarians were a violent pack. Most members were antagonistic and enjoy looking for fights and starting them if none were available. It was the way they were brought up. It was the only way she knew. It was how they were able to stay alive in the pack and keep themselves out of trouble. She sometimes would compare the pack's structure similar to an ant colony, though she wouldn't go as far as say they're all of one mind, though they did have similar behaviors to each other.

Slowly, she let her anger leave her body. It was useless for her to remain angry at Cannibal. She would never apologize for what she did. None of them did, unless their lives were being threatened by a superior. Volf watched the waters below her. She didn't expect Cannibal to turn up any time soon. She shook her head and turned around. If Cannibal wanted to play in the water, trying to find something she already attempted to, she can be her guest. She began walking away, down the suspended pipe.

The blue alimon was right about one thing. Blizzard had to know of this. It was best to tell him now before someone else found out and told him. She winced as she imagined the kind of punishment she would receive if she failed to tell him herself. While she could try to lie about it, she would be unsuccessful if Cannibal had anything to do with it.

___

Each step Tana took caused pain to wrack through her body. Her body was covered in mud and blood, some of it belonging to her and the rest belonging to Veloci. She managed to carry him far enough to rest underneath a bridge, making sure to keep themselves hidden in the shadows. She pushed her back against the ground, her head tilted upwards. Next to her, Veloci lay down, curled up slightly. His tail was draped off to the side, away from his body.

She had made a miscalculation earlier and the two had fallen off into a ditch that wasn't in use for a long time. She had injured herself on the sharp, broken pipes. Her body was cut up a little, but it wasn't too bad. She was mostly worried about the injuries on her legs. It hurt when she walked, which would be a problem if she wanted to get to the lighthouse soon. It was going to be a very long walk, but it was either that or she find a way to contact a Rock Ranger.

But why would they believe her? She was Axel's sister, one of their most hated enemies. Part of her wondered if she just made the biggest mistake of her life. She then looked over at Veloci. She narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't fond of him herself. The velociraptor reminded her so much of the Darkarians. Why had she gone through the trouble of saving his life? Why didn't she just let him be killed so the world wouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

Upon thinking about it, she couldn't think of why she did it herself. Maybe it was because she didn't have the heart to actually kill him. Perhaps it was because she didn't see him as big of a threat as the Darkarians, but why? They both had similar goals. Granted, the Darkarians were more violent by comparison, but was Veloci really that much better? Was he the lesser evil the two?

She growled to herself. She didn't want to debate with herself right now, especially when he was so close to her. She didn't want him to read her mind and ask what she was doing. She didn't want to talk to Veloci right now. She moved away from him, careful not to wake him up. She lay down with her back turned to him. She felt no reason to fear him at this point. He wouldn't be able to get up on his own accord.

She closed her eyes, thoughts running through her mind. She listened to the cars zooming overhead. She could hear cars in front of her as well, but no human would see her and Veloci. It was too dark, and what human would have the audacity to stop on a highway to see what they were anyway? She tried to think of what she was going to do when she got to the lighthouse. She wondered what she would do when she would have to face the Rock Ranger's leader, Stone. And what was she going to do when she had to face...him?

"...Crim..." She whispered softly, a single tear running down her cheek. The very mention of his name brought back so many bad memories to her.

Crim had been someone she was interested in being with. He was what she wanted in a mate, and the two of them had been really good friends for years. The two of them had even dated on occasion, and she felt safe and secure with him. But all of that changed when the rebellion between the Darkarians and Rock Rangers occurred. Suddenly, he had turned so cold against her, believing she had tricked him into trusting her. The memory still hurt to this day. She wanted to tell him how wrong he was about her, but she doubted he would let her speak.

She wished she could erase that memory. It hurt her so bad. Sometimes she still had dreams of it. She still felt something for him, but now she doubted they could ever be a couple now. Crim was a stubborn guy, so set in his ways that he doesn't sway to understand other people's point of view. He could be single-minded and not see what was there, only seeing what he wanted, which was what happened when he accused her of being a deceiver and a liar. She had never gotten a chance to explain herself, and was banished out of the pack, on request of Crim himself.

She pressed her cheek against the pebble-covered ground and tried to go to sleep. Some rest may help her aching heart feel better. She didn't get a chance to sleep for long as she felt rocks drop on top of her from above. She lifted her head up and looked around. Who could be out here in the middle of the highway? Tana wondered if it was just a pesky human and got up onto her feet to take a look. But when she looked over, she noticed the newcomer wasn't a human at all, but another alimon.

Or rather, it was an alimon disguised as a human. The newcomer was a woman, tall and slightly thin. Her hair was cut short and pulled in a tiny pony tail. She wear a green shirt with teal sleeves and a long blouse with a green just slightly darker than her shirt. She had her head tilted slightly upwards so her brown eyes could keep gaze with Tana's. The woman's expression was hard, but not hostile.

Tana recognized the human as Treestar, Stone's mate. She hadn't expected to see her all the way out here. She knew bits of information on Treestar, most notably of her being a pacifist. She narrowed her eyes slightly. That didn't make her trust her any further. Being the mate of the leader of the Rock Rangers made her feel wary. Peaceful or not, the woman could transform and take her back to the Rock Rangers. Tana got into a defensive position, baring her teeth at the newcomer.

Treestar held up a hand. "No need to get aggressive, Tana. I am not here to fight you."

"And why should I believe you?" Tana asked, raising an eyebrow. "Some of you Rock Rangers were so quick to turn against me...why should you be any different?"

"Because I did not take part in the decision that had you banished. I was actually against it. But alas, my vote to keep you in the pack was overturned." Treestar said. There was a hint of sadness in her voice, making Tana feel a little convinced that she was speaking the truth. "I am here because some Rock Rangers spotted you and Veloci and I was sent to retrieve you."

Tana growled at this. "To persecute me I'm sure."

Treestar shook her head. "No, Stone only wishes for your safety. He will make sure no harm will come to you." She looked down at the sleeping velociraptor. "And he also wants to make sure Veloci is safe in the lighthouse."

"I see..." Tana replied, a little skeptical.

Tana wasn't sure if she could trust Treestar completely. She couldn't help but feel wary of the Rock Rangers, even though they weren't generally as aggressive as Darkarians. But she herself was still a Darkarian would still be seen as an enemy by the Rock Rangers. She glanced down at Veloci, still somewhat puzzled by her own decision to save him. He would not be seen as a danger, so perhaps she should just send him with Treestar instead.

She was about to speak, but then paused, reevaluating her decision. What if Veloci were to attack Treestar while she was heading back? She wasn't sure how much of a fighter Treestar could be. And Veloci's jaws could still deliver a powerful bite. Perhaps it was better if she had gone with. What was the worse that could happen? Her mind began to fill with thoughts of all that could go wrong, but she shook them out of her mind.

Treestar seemed to sense her hesitance. "I understand what you're thinking. The Rock Ranger and Darkarian pack had been at war with each other for so long, that some have grown used to the idea of punishment without reason." Her voice sounded sad. "I know there are some members of my own pack who would be glad to see you hang for crimes you did not commit. But rest assured, Tana. I won't let anything happen to you, and neither will Stone. He's a really understanding guy.

Tana cocked an eyebrow. "And how will you be sure of that?"

"We're the ones in charge of the pack, dear." Treestar said in an affectionate tone. This caught Tana off guard. No one had ever spoken to her like that in a long time. "Just come with me, and take Veloci with you. We need to leave now before the Darkarians realize this is where you escaped to."

Tana thought about what Treestar told her. She cast her eyes downward thoughtfully. It did make sense, now that she thought about it. Should she really be worried about prosecution if Stone and Treestar would protect her? It was hard for her to believe that Stone and Blizzard were related, as they were almost nothing alike in terms of personality. Sure, they shared some familiar traits, but Blizzard was power hungry and wanted to dominate, while Stone sought peaceful coexistence. He wouldn't be the kind of alimon to allow injustice to happen without reason, would he?

She lifted her head up. "Okay I'll go with you." She turned around and pushed Veloci onto her back. The velociraptor was still asleep, which she was grateful for. She walked over towards Treestar and stopped in front of her. "I know you didn't just walk here. Where's our ride?"

Treestar gestured over to a concealed location, hard to see from the road. They walked over towards the indention in the land, nestled against the road hill. There, covered in a bunch of fake vegetation, was a helicopter from Raptor Dyne. Tana's eyes went wide, and for a moment, she thought the Darkarians had tricked her. But a second look revealed Peter sitting in the copter's seat, proving it wasn't the aggressive pack. After calming herself, Tana began to walk towards the red flying machine.

"How did you guys get this?" Tana asked.

Treestar turned her head. "We'll tell you on the way to the lighthouse. Right now, we must leave."

"What if we get spotted?" Tana asked, struggling to keep Veloci from falling off. "My pa...I mean the Darkarians have satellite survaillence."

"We took care of that. Now come on!" Treestar declared as they got to the helicopter. Treestar climbed inside the copter. She looked down at Tana and used her hand to gesture her to follow.

Tana was about to climb up when she realized a problem. There wasn't going to be enough room in there for both her and Veloci in their animal forms. She positioned herself with her hind quarters up in the air, letting the red velociraptor slide off her back. She then stood over him and began to push her snout against his head. She kept doing this until Veloci opened up his eyes and looked up at her. He was obviously not happy with being woken up.

'What do you want, alimon?' Veloci hissed.

"Change back to human form." Tana ordered him. "We need to get into this helicopter."

Confused, Veloci looked over and noticed that there was indeed a helicopter there. And not just any helicopter, it was one of his own. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed Peter sitting in the seat. He felt a small wave of relief inside of him, but he didn't dwell on that for long. He turned his attention back to the alimon.

'Changing back will only escalate my blood loss.' Veloci said, eyes narrowed. 'Do you want me to die?'

"No, but if we hurry, we can get you back to the lighthouse and get help." Tana said. She was in no mood to debate with Veloci. He needed help fast. She lowered her head and grabbed him in her jaws gently, helping him up onto his feet.

Treestar spoke, "She will support you when you change back and help you in. If you value your life, you will listen to us."

Veloci hesitated. He didn't want to take orders from these two alimons, not after what their kind did to his company and his reputation. But a nod from Peter told him that it was best to do what they said. He trusted Peter's input most of the time, and he had proven himself plenty of times in the past. He closed his eyes and his body shifted back to human form. True to their word, Tana supported him in her jaws.

Tana lifted him up carefully and pulled him into the cabin of the copter. Treestar grabbed onto him and pulled him the rest of the way in. She carefully placed him on the ground against the wall. Tana changed into her human form and climbed up inside. She sat down next to Treestar. She looked over and noticed Veloci laying on the ground, flat on his back. This was done to make sure that blood could get to any place equally. Treestar was working on trying to stop the bleeding. As she did this, she barked an order at Peter to take off back to the lighthouse.

As they flew higher into the air and the ground grew smaller below them, Tana noticed something moving on the ground. As they started to take off, a shield waved through and coated them. This must be what Treestar was talking about earlier. Tana squinted her eyes and noticed that the stuff moving on the ground were three large bodies, obviously Darkarians. She gulped. If she had been just a little later, she would have been captured.

She pressed her back against the well and exhaled in relief. She turned her head towards Treestar. "How is Moynihan's temper?"

___

Moynihan sighed softly as she watched the scene unfold. Veloci had recently been transported to the lighthouse, around half an hour ago. He was quickly brought into her small laboratory so that the Rock Rangers could treat his wounds. But he was making such a big fuss about it and had been struggling to get away from them. They finally had to strap him down onto a table, something that she hoped they would have been able to avoid, and proceeded to treat him that way. She had suggested sedating him, but Stone said they couldn't risk it, given how extensive the injuries were. He claimed sedatives would only make things worse.

Unfortunately for Veloci, this meant no painkillers, at least not yet. He howled and hissed in pain as the alimons worked with his injuries. He could feel every time a claw accidentally hit an injury, or sliced into an open wound. And the stitching, that was even worse. The alimons were working as fast as they could to close the wounds. The coating of healing herbs did sting, but they didn't compare to this. Veloci nearly bit his tongue as he tried to fight the pain.

After the grueling hour, the alimons were finally finished with the stitching. They had also stitched up his tail and fixed up his arm to the best of their ability, improving on where the Darkarians had failed, likely on purpose. Cobalt and Fluke left to grab some medical bandages while Emerald stayed behind to check Veloci's vitals, or at least to the best of his ability. He checked Veloci's breathing rate and heart speed to make sure they were settling down. He gave a nod to Stone when the heart and breathing rates appeared to be returning to normal.

His brother and friend soon returned with the bandages. Crescent took them and proceeded to wrap them around the injuries. She continued to do this until all the wounds were covered. Veloci looked silly wrapped up in bandages, but in reality, it was no laughing matter, and not one person, or alimon, chuckled at the sight. Veloci, even treated, looked miserable. The Dino Squad couldn't tell if this was from his pride as a dinosaur being hurt or from him almost losing his life to those injuries.

The Dino Squad didn't like the idea of Veloci being brought to the lighthouse. They had felt it was a crazy idea and would only result in terrible things happening. They were surprised when Moynihan agreed to let him being brought to the lighthouse. They had thought, for sure, that she would agree with them. But instead, their mentor decided it was better to let him come over to be treated. She admitted that, while Veloci had harmed them in the past, she didn't have the heart to reject him.

She also reminded them of the Rock Rangers' warning. They still needed Dr. Veloci to help fight against the Darkarians. If he were to be killed, then there was nothing they could do to stop Raptor Dyne, other than destroy it, and that was nearly impossible, as they were now. Moynihan felt it would be more beneficial to help Veloci heal and take back his corporation. Things weren't much better under Veloci's rule, but it was at least better than how things were now.

As Veloci was recovering on the table, Moynihan thought to herself about earlier. She was thinking about the message that Ezma had written for her. She didn't know what it had meant, and before she could decipher it, it was taken away from her. She was frustrated, wanting to know what Ezma had wrote on that piece of paper. She could have asked her instead, but the poor alimon's jaws were still injured. She didn't want to provoke further injury. And she couldn't risk having her write it down again. She hoped to speak with Stone as soon as possible. Perhaps he could shed some light on the issue.

She stopped thinking about this when she heard Donovan growl next to her. She turned her head and noticed him, in his human mode, folding up his arms and glaring out at the Dino Squad. She didn't need to talk to him. She already knew what was bothering him, and it wasn't Veloci, well not just him anyway. He hadn't had much time to train the Dino Squad. Things had been going so fast, and they weren't working well for him. She could tell he is really itching to train them, but is unable to, not with a few patients needing to be treated.

She turned her head to Kista, Peter, and Oscura. They had been standing further away as the operation was going on. But after it was over, the alimons had moved away to make room for them. They stood close to Veloci, looking at him to make sure he was okay. Peter looked especially worried. This amazed her. Despite the way he treats them, they still seemed to have some sense of caring for him. She wouldn't have expected this, and she wouldn't have believed it if she didn't see it. She knew that they were a stubborn bunch, as well, and would be more difficult for Donovan to train, if he even wanted to.

Her adopted daughter, Michelle, was keeping her distance away from Dr. Veloci and Oscura, and she couldn't blame her. They had tried to murder her in the past. Dark memories came to her mind as she recalled how Veloci had sliced up the already injured Michelle and tried to kill her. But that was in the past now. She had tried to reason with Michelle that now wasn't the time to be afraid, but it was difficult getting through to her. For a moment, she was reminded of how frightened Caruso was for a while after being tortured.

"Such children..."

Moynihan looked over at Donovan. He had decided to not be quiet anymore.

"Look at them..." He growled softly. "..I know I said they had potential, but I am no miracle worker. I only wished I had more time to work with them."

"You do have time, don't you?" Moynihan asked him. "I have a large place here. It would be easy to just go outside and..."

"But it isn't enough!" Donovan barked. "I've trained with obstacle courses, with real threats, in different environments! And even if I had those things, there's still the issue of time!" Donovan was shaking slightly in anger. "If only we had prevented the take over of Raptor Dyne...maybe things would have been different. But now that the Darkarians have control, training will become...difficult..."

Moynihan could only sigh. It was true. The Darkarians could easily interfere with training at any moment. Donovan had agreed to train the Dino Squad, but when he made this promise, it was before Raptor Dyne was taken over. Now he wasn't so sure if he could train them, or if he should. Donovan still had it in his mind that the Dino Squad were unfit to fight against an alimon pack, especially the Darkarians. She disagreed with them, as they had proven themselves capable to handle them in a battle, but any attempt to argue with Donovan wouldn't end well. So she kept quiet.

Donovan turned to look at her. He bared his pointed teeth. "There is just no time left... I hate to do this, but they had given me no choice." He turned away from her, and looked back at the Dino Squad. "I'll have to condense training, and they will need to make due with what they will learn. It won't be much, and not as good as it could be, but hopefully it will be enough. Better than nothing I would think." He looked back at Moynihan, this time his expression softening up a little. "They did perform...pretty good against the Darkarians. So that gives us some hope."

"Yes, I agree." Moynihan said, offering a small smile.

"However.." Donovan's voice darkened. "..they mustn't let that get to their heads. They may have just been lucky last time. Wait until they get into a real battle with the Darkarians... It'll make their little scuffle with them back at Raptor Dyne look like child's play."

Moynihan didn't like the pessimism dripping from Donovan's voice. But there was nothing she could say against it. Nothing was coming to her mind. She couldn't think of any way to make things better. "I wouldn't doubt it..." She sighed softly, admitting that he was right. "...I wouldn't doubt defeating the Darkarians wouldn't be that easy."

After a few moments of standing there, Donovan made a move. He walked away from Moynihan wordlessly. He approached the Dino Squad. They were standing a ways off, likely to keep themselves away from their enemies. They noticed him approaching and looked at him expectantly. Donovan stopped a few feet in front of them. He stared at them for what felt like many minutes. He contemplated on what he was going to say. Then he spoke.

"Pack your bags. You are coming with me." He said sternly.

___

Night fell on Kittery Point, Maine. The lights in houses were going off as people were heading to bed. The street lights flashed on, illuminating the night for any night owls wandering or driving around. Real owls were hooting in the nearby forest. Various bats were swooping the skies for delicious insects to snack on. The moon was full out tonight, shining faintly overhead as dark clouds swirled in front of it, partially blocking the view of it.

Quietness had fallen upon most places in town, including the home of Fiona and Terri. While they weren't home, staying over at the lighthouse no doubt, their parents were home. They moved about their home, quickly finishing up any chores. They didn't look very worried about their kids. They knew they could take care of themselves. They laughed a few times, as if telling a good joke. Then they got up and turned out the lights. A few minutes later, the final light, their bedroom, went out. The house was now completely dark.

Axel was watching this scene play out, lowering herself onto her haunches. She was hidden between two houses across the street, using the darkness to her advantage. Her blue eyes glowed, watching the seemingly abandoned house. But she knew better. She had seen the lights before they were put out. She waited until she was certain they were asleep. Then she got up and walked towards the house.

She was in her alimon form. She didn't see a reason to be human at this point. Most people wouldn't see her anyway. The street was bright, but not that bright. She soon crossed the road and was back on the side walk. She tilted her fanged muzzle upwards, narrowing her eyes at the window. It was open, a potential entry point. But that would draw too much attention to herself. She had to be silent for this. She would have to enter through the front door.

This was the mistake Haze and Asymal made when they went into Mrs. Krell's house. She turned her head over to the now empty house. She could still smell some blood in the air. The fight must have been brutal. From what she had been told, the two broke into her house through a window and immediately drawn her attention. They had to kill her swiftly to avoid her calling for help. At least that's the way she heard it. She might have been told incorrect information. Either way, she couldn't afford that mistake.

Before she moved any further, Axel closed her eyes and concentrated. As she did, her body started to change color. Her vibrant coloration gave way to darker, more natural colors. Even her eyes changed color, abandoning the blue for gold. By the time she was done, she was now colored a lot more like a cougar. This was her hunter mode. All alimons had it. It would allow her a much easier time to stay hidden from unwanted eyes.

Axel walked up to the front door and turned the knob. She entered the house, quietly shutting the door. Her walking was slowed, deliberate, as she didn't want to creak the floors or trip on anything. She could tell this was a nice house and it had a good atmosphere. But she paid no attention to them. She had work to do. She looked around for the stairs, and soon found them. They semi-spiraled upward, which annoyed her due to her large size, but she could manage it.

She winced as she felt a stair creak, but was relieved that the two humans didn't hear her. She sighed to herself and continued climbing up the staircase. She soon reached the top floor. She looked around and noted there were multiple doors. She didn't need to search through them, though. Using her nose, she could sniff out her prey. She identified the door they were behind and moved forward. She opened the door and walked inside, shutting the door behind her.

She slowly crept towards the sleeping couple. She had to be careful. They had just recently fallen asleep and could easily be roused from their slumber. She continued moving forward until she was only inches away. She raised her head high above the man and woman. She knew these were Terri and Fiona's parents. She narrowed her eyes and snorted. It was hard for her to believe that these are the parents of two members of the Dino Squad. But then, she didn't know what else to expect. They weren't infected with any prehistoric DNA.

She rose up onto her hind legs. She leaned over the couple, her shadow covering them like a blanket. She brought her front paws forward. Her claws tightened, poised to strike. She remained there like that for many seconds. Her now golden eyes stared at them intently, then widened as she noticed Mr. Flagstaff opening his eyes. She struck forward now, letting out a loud roar.

Before Mr. and Mrs. Flagstaff could scream, Axel clamped her front paws firmly against their heads. She didn't cover their noses so they could still breath, and their eyes were free to see her. But she used her claws and digits to completely cover their mouths and part of their neck, keeping their heads down. The two humans struggled, slamming and punching her legs to make her let go. But all this did was provoke Axel to laugh. The sound of her laughter was frightening and terrible. At least, all they could do was stop and stare up in horror at the massive creature that had now pinned them.

Axel, with an insane grin on her face, lowered hear head close to theirs. "If you two wish to live..." She moved her head slightly up, rolling her eyes down so she could see them. "...you will do exactly what I say..."


	36. Unknown Plannings

Transporting themselves to the hideout of the Rock Rangers wasn't going to be an easy task. They needed someway to not draw attention to themselves. Max suggested they try using one of Veloci's trucks, if any were still available. But Rodger said that would also bring unwanted attention because the Darkarians had taken over Raptor Dyne and would know when something was amiss. Michelle suggested that they try the yellow van instead, but she soon realized that would have caused a similar problem.

After much debate, Moynihan came up with an idea that seemed to be more beneficial. She suggested they take the submarine. She explained to everyone that she had left the submarine in a place close by. As much as she hated to say it, she had to say that it was invisible to radar, making it ideal for safe travel. Though Veloci and other Raptor Dyne members now knew for certain about her invisible submarine, right now, there were more important things to worry about.

At first, a few members of the Dino Squad weren't sure it was going to work. Buzz, Michelle, and Terri were especially concerned. They said that they would still some form of transportation if the Rock Rangers' lair was far from water. And if that were the case, then the submarine would just be a waste of time. To relieve them of some worry, Donovan explained that one of their hideout's tunnels did open up somewhere near water. They would still need to walk, but it wouldn't be as bad as they thought.

It was settled. They were going to take the submarine. This worked out well for everyone. The submarine was big enough to escort them all, and there was a medical section where the injured ones could be looked at. Crescent admitted she didn't feel comfortable using tools she was unfamiliar with, but she would still give them a try. The only one who seemed to protest the idea of the submarine was Oscura, who apparently couldn't swim. Kista laughed and told her she would keep her from drowning. The tone of her voice annoyed Oscura.

Caruso looked over at the dark skies above. It was getting late. He and the others had just finished packing their bags. They had spent the night over at Moynihan's lighthouse, so they already had some items packed. But Donovan said it wasn't going to be enough. They would all need to return home to get more items to pack. Donovan said he couldn't guarantee how long they'll be gone, and he suggested packing as much as possible.

Caruso turned his eyes over to Donovan. He felt uneasy around him. He wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps it was because he reminded him a little too much of Veloci. But he couldn't tell why, considering the two had somewhat different personalities. He looked over at his girlfriend, Fiona. He reached over and touched her shoulder. "Are you getting weird vibes from this guy?"

Fiona tilted an eyebrow. "Only a little, but I'm sure it'll pass." She paused for reflection. She recalled how Caruso didn't feel right about Michelle, and he later turned out to be right when she worked for Veloci. But then again, Michelle turned out to be a nice girl and an effective ally. So she wasn't sure what to make of this. "I think we will be fine."

"I hope you're right." Caruso said. "I just wish I could be as certain as you."

Fiona giggled and gripped his shoulders. "You worry too much. Try to loosen up for a change." She playfully stroked his hair. "Or do I need to remind you of the time that you were so worried about the expiration date on your lotion that you forgot actually bring the lotion to the clinic to get it checked?" She smirked at this amusing memory.

"No..." Caruso blushed in embarrassment. He chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right." He leaned in and gave Fiona a quick kiss.

"I hate to break up you two lovebirds..." Michelle said as she approached. "..but you guys should be getting home. The others are already leaving." She pointed to the others, who had started to leave the lighthouse.

Caruso and Fiona nodded their heads. They picked up their bags and started to leave. Then Caruso stopped. He turned to Michelle. "What about them?" He looked over at the corner where Veloci, Peter, Kista, and Oscura were. "Is it safe to leave them here alone?"

"They won't be alone. I'm here. Moynihan's here. And let's not forget the couple Rock Ranger alimons that were in the lighthouse as well. They won't be able to do any harm here." Michelle said with confidence. "And I'll point out that you guys won't be gone for long. You're just picking up some extra stuff for the trip to the Rock Rangers' place. That'll only take you guys a couple hours, shouldn't it?"

Fiona looked over at Caruso, smirking. "Not unless you're the type of person who fusses over every little outfit he is going to wear and constantly changes outfits every few minutes."

"Fiona!" Caruso cried.

Fiona nudged him gently. "Oh come on, I'm just teasing you." Her expression turned serious. "But Michelle's right. We should get going now."

"My mom is going to freak out when she finds out I have to leave again." Caruso said, smiling nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sometimes she just drives me crazy."

"Well better than her not worrying at all..." Michelle said bitterly. She realized what she said and shook her head. "Um, anyway, I'll see you guys in a few hours." She turned and walked away before Fiona or Caruso could ask any questions.

___

About an hour later, sitting a good distance away, was Donovan. He had told Stone he was going outside for a short walk. He didn't go very far. The lighthouse was still in view, but he was far enough that it would be difficult for them to see him. He was in his alimon form. He didn't bother going into hunter mode; his dark skin was camouflage enough. He watched as a couple of the Dino Squad members started to come back. Max, Caruso, and Rodger were the ones returning. They were carrying a couple large bags. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if they were carrying enough stuff with them.

Then his eyes rested on Caruso. He felt a sharp pang inside of him. His expression softened. There was something familiar about this boy, but he couldn't quite place it. Had he seen him somewhere before? He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for memory lane. He had a job to do. He continued to stare at Caruso, at the same time wondering when he should put forth his plan. He knew it wasn't going to be very popular, and he was risking everything on it. But he couldn't see any other way.

"Donovan, we are here."

The black and blue alimon turned around. Approaching him were Lorenzo, who was in his hunter mode, and Matyr. The two of them were still a good distance off, but were approaching fast. Donovan got up and turned towards them. He walked over to them, closing the gap faster. Once they were close enough, Donovan spoke.

"I am happy to see that you two made it." Donovan said, raising his head slightly. "It's getting harder to move around with the Darkarians in control of Raptor Dyne."

"Very true." Lorenzo said, his voice disgusted.

"Oh well, what's important is that we made it." Matyr said. She looked up at Donovan, her head lowered. "...are you sure this plan of yours is a good idea? I mean, what if something were to go wrong?"

Donovan blinked. He would be lying if he said that didn't cross his mind. Yet he knew doubt would only cause problems. He had to remain confident. "Nothing will go wrong, I assure you. We just need the right execution."

"But what about..." Matyr's eyes drifted towards the shadow of the teenagers going inside the lighthouse.

"Enough, Matyr!" Lorenzo barked at her. "Donovan has everything under control!" He looked over at Donovan, a smile spreading across his muzzle. "Don't you?"

Donovan stared at him. Then he chuckled, closing his eyes. "Of course I do. Everything will go according to plan." He walked over and put a paw around both Lorenzo and Matyr. The black female looked nervous, but the yellow male only smiled back. "And I can guarantee you...even my closest friend, Stone, will be taken for a loop..."

___

Fiona grunted as she lifted the heavy bag from her bed. It was so stuffed full of clothes and other items that she thought it was going to explode. She felt like Caruso as she lugged the bag down the stairs. He always packed up so many things that she wondered if he would take the entire house with him if he could. She wouldn't be surprised if he was still at his house, rummaging through his stuff to find something else he could take with him. She smiled at the thought. She would rather see him like this, as himself, not the coward he had turned into for a short time.

She felt her hands weaken. The bag nearly slipped through her fingers. She reacted quickly and grabbed the bottom of the bag with her free hand, steadying it. She lifted it up and cradled it in her arms as she made her way towards the yellow SUV. The only reason she had so much stuff was that Terri had misplaced her bag, so she had to lug both her and her sister's clothing and items in one bag. It was frustrating and inconvenient, but there was nothing else she could do.

She reached the garage, letting out a sigh of relief. The door was already open. Standing next to it was Terri. She was leaning against the vehicle, watching as she came over with the bag. Fiona struggled to lift the bag up. Seeing this, Terri ran over and grabbed onto it. She pulled it up and helped her older sister push the bag into the back of the SUV. Once the bag was inside, Fiona paused for a moment to rub her sore arms.

"Thanks for the help." Fiona said. She reached up with both hands and pulled the door down, sealing the bulging bag inside. "It would have been easier in dino mode, but it was too risky..."

"Yeah I know. I heard what Stone and Moynihan had said hours ago." Terri replied.

Fiona noticed Terri's eyes were narrow in a concerned manner. She took a step towards her. "Hey is anything wrong?"

"No." Terri said.

Fiona said, "Don't lie to me, Terri. Something is troubling you. I can tell." Her sister didn't answer her. Fiona sighed softly. She reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Terri. I know you better than this. Please tell me what is wrong."

Terri thought for a moment. She turned her head to face Fiona. Her expression didn't change for several seconds. Eventually she softened her glare and she looked towards the ground. She felt stupid that she thought she could hide anything from Fiona. They were closer than what they would like to admit. She wasn't sure if she wanted to say anything at this time. Part of her felt it was silly, but another part was telling her to admit the truth.

After she was silent for longer than she intended, she felt Fiona shake her. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I was just about to answer."

Fiona nodded her head. "Okay, tell me what's on your mind. Is it about what has happened as of late?"

"Well kind of." Terri said, rubbing her arm in nervousness. "But it's not the alimons. Don't get me wrong. I'm just as worried about them as the rest of you. But they're not what's clinging to my mind now. Something..or rather, someone else is."

Fiona tilted her head slightly. "And who might that be?"

"Well..." Terri was really nervous, and she knew Fiona could tell, judging from her expression. She knew Fiona would understand. After all, she had developed feelings for someone as well. Admitting that one was in love was always hard to do, even to someone that they trusted completely on the issue. "It's someone on the team." She said, feeling her face slowly turn red.

"Someone that you like?" Fiona inquired.

Still blushing, Terri nodded her head in response. "You got that right."

Fiona felt relieved that it wasn't anything dangerous that was bothering Terri. She was happy for her sister. She wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in. Terri was surprised at this gesture. But she soon returned the hug. As Fiona embraced her little sister, she said, "I'm glad that you found someone you like, Terri." She released her grip on her and, gripping her shoulders gently, she said, "Who is it?"

Terri smiled and looked away. "Buzz."

Fiona's eyes widened slightly at this response. "Buzz?" Terri gave a nod. Before Fiona could say anything further, she heard footsteps behind her. She looked over her shoulders. She smiled. "Oh hey, mom and dad!"

Mr. and Mrs. Flagstaff smiled back, waving at their daughters. They walked over towards Terri and Fiona. They stopped a few inches from them. Their expressions were a little strange, something that they hadn't seen before. It looked like they were about to cry, but this didn't seem like them. They hadn't fretted over them when they faced Dr. Veloci. But then again, he was a wimp compared to the Darkarians.

Mr. Flagstaff wrapped his arms around his oldest daughter. He pulled her into a tight hug. Fiona was shocked when she saw tears stroll down his face. She almost never seen her father cry before. With shaking arms, she returned the hug, resting her head against him. Terri was equally surprised when Mrs. Flagstaff embraced her as well. She looked just as scared as her husband. All Terri could do was hug her mother in an attempt to comfort her.

When the hugs were over, Terri said in a cautious voice, "Mom..? Dad..? What's wrong with you two?"

"I'm sorry if we're worrying you." Mr. Flagstaff said. "We're just..worried about you girls."

"This is going to be a dangerous mission. I just want you two to come home safely." Mrs. Flagstaff replied, wiping away a tear.

"We love you two with all our hearts." Mr. Flagstaff said, reaching out and gently patting Fiona on the head. "We would be devastated if something were to happen to you." He ran his fingers through her hair a few times before pulling his hand away, smiling through his tears at her.

Upon hearing this, both Fiona and Terri felt their own tears well up. The realization slowly hit them. They could die on this mission. It wasn't just battling mutantsaurs anymore. It was an all out war against the evil Darkarian alimons. There would be no mercy, no pause for rest, no turning back. It was going to be a kill or be killed battlefield. Part of them regretting getting involved, but what choice did they have? The Darkarians had given them no alternative, and the Rock Rangers seem dead set on fighting the other pack.

In Fiona's mind, memory flashes came. She remembered that terrible fight with Kista. The hybrid dinosaur had nearly killed Caruso. And it wasn't just him that almost died. They all did. With the combined efforts of their enemies, she had been brought to her knees, to badly injured to defend herself. She could still feel pain in the areas she had been struck, still feel the blood trickling down her body in multiple places. And she remembered how close she had come to dying along with her friends. She owed a great deal of debt to Terri. If she hadn't gotten their parents there in time, who knows what would have happened?

"You don't have to worry about us." Fiona said, trying her best to make her fake smile look genuine. "We'll be fine. Won't we, Terri?" She nudged her sister gently to get her to respond quicker.

"Yeah, we'll be okay. We can turn into dinosaurs! We can defend ourselves against the Darkarians." Terri said. She deliberately didn't bring up her own doubt. Part of her wondered if she could defeat the very experienced fighters that were the Darkarians.

"I'm glad to hear that." Mrs. Flagstaff said. "I know it sounds a little silly for us to be worried like this. It's just that..nothing like this happened before."

"It's okay." Fiona said. "I admit, we're a little scared too. But we won't be alone. We have the rest of the Dino Squad. And we have the support of another alimon pack, the Rock Rangers."

Mr. Flagstaff nodded. His eyes looked like they were starting to dry up. He wiped off what was left of his tears. "I apologize if we had you worried. Just call us whenever you can to give us updates. If that is possible that is."

"I'll have to ask Stone. It could be possible, though, with a few tweaks so that the messages aren't traced..." Terri said. Her voice trailed off as she pulled out her cellphone and noticed what time it was. She tugged on Fiona's sleeve. "Hey. We should get going. Stone is going to wonder where we are."

Fiona took note of the time as Terri lightly tapped on her cellphone screen. "Oh man, you're right, Terri!" She gave her parents a quick hug and kiss. "I'm sorry, we have to go now." She opened the driver's door and climbed inside the SUV. She buckled herself in, adjusted the mirrors, and shut the door. She placed the key in the ignition and turned it. "Hurry up, Terri, We can't keep them waiting!"

"Coming!" Terri also gave her parents a hug and kiss goodbye. She stared at them for a few seconds, and then turned and ran towards the car. Once she was situated in the passenger's seat, buckled in, Fiona pulled the shift into drive. The yellow SUV moved forward and went onto the road.

Mr. and Mrs. Flagstaff watched as their daughters left. They smiled at them, proud of what they were doing. But as they disappeared over the horizon, their smiles faded. Their expressions morphed into a look of guilt. They looked at each other, their faces telling each other that they had both did something that they regretted, and what was worse is that they couldn't say anything to anyone else about it.

They felt their hearts racing as they heard someone move in from behind them. A pair of strong feminine hands gripped their shoulders from the back. They looked over, their eyes widening as they saw a familiar woman staring at them intently. "So did you do your jobs, just like I instructed you to do?"

"Y-Yes, Axel..." Mrs. Flagstaff said. "..exactly how you told us to do it." Her husband nodded in response.

"Good." Axel said, releasing them. The two adult humans moved away from her. She smirked as she watched them tremble in fear.

"I just..I don't get it, though..." Mr. Flagstaff said. Axel cocked an eyebrow. "Why did you need us to do it?"

Axel laughed evilly. "Because they trust you. That's why, bonehead."

Though offended, the man dared not say anything against this crazy woman. "Well we did your dirty work for you..."

"So will you please spare us and our daughters' lives?" Mrs. Flagstaff said, her eyes having a pleading look on them.

Axel chuckled in response. She walked slowly towards them, her eyes having a faint blue glow to them. "I cannot promise that. All the deal was, you do this favor for me and I wouldn't kill you yet. I never said I never would, nor did I say anything about your daughters." She transformed her hand, sharp red claws extended, and she struck out at Mr. Flagstaff. He screamed as the claws lightly grazed his arm. She pulled her paw back and stared at the little amount of blood now on her talons. She licked it off.

"You can't do this!" Mrs. Flagstaff cried out, tears returning to her eyes. "We didn't do anything to you!"

"Doesn't matter." Axel said, smiling evilly. "I can always find something.." She moved closer to them until she was uncomfortably close to them. She showed her transformed hand at them, flexing her sharp claws in a threatening manner. "But I can promise you this. Say one word about this to anyone, and I will capture you and your pretty little girls and enjoy taking my time slowly torturing all four of you. I will make you watch your daughters get ripped apart and eaten by me. And as for you, well let's just say that you'll never be able to show your face in public ever again!"


	37. Unexpected Truth

There had been a slight change in plans. Originally, the Dino Squad were told they would leave in the early morning, but Donovan suggested that they should leave even earlier. And by earlier, he meant sometime around midnight. His reasoning is that most of the Darkarians would be asleep at this point and would not easily notice them wandering around outside. It took him a while to convince Stone of this idea, but soon the leader did come to agree that leaving around the middle of the night was best, even if it meant not getting as much sleep.

The Dino Squad were, unfortunately, not warned of this change until after they had fallen asleep. They had only gotten about 4 hours of sleep when they were rudely awakened by Fluke, who nudged them roughly with his nose to make them get up. It was from him that they learned of the time change. Some were angry and asked why they weren't warned earlier so they could get more sleep. But Fluke could only shrug his shoulders as he did not have an answer.

Groggily, the Dino Squad picked up their things into a neat pile. They picked up their sleeping bags and shoved them into their bags. They changed and pushed their dirty clothes into their bags as well. They took showers as well so that they didn't leave as much of a smell. Donovan had even brought them special shampoo that would mask their smell for a few hours. After they were finished, they went into the living room area to wait for the others to get ready as well.

Moynihan took the longest to get ready. It wasn't because she had a lot of stuff. She claims to be able to make do with less stuff than others, being a velociraptor and all. But she did have two pets to worry about. And one of them, Rump, could transform into a mutantsaur. She had thought about getting a babysitter for them, but she didn't know of anyone available at the time that could take care of two pets for an extended period of time. Plus with Rump's transforming, she didn't think she wanted to risk it. What would people say if they saw a normal dog turn into what they would view as a monster?

Instead, Moynihan opted to bring them along. Some people, including Cobalt, Donovan, Rodger, and Max, objected to this idea. It would be extra mouths to feed, and none of them knew how to take care of them while they were to be at war. Moynihan wasn't sure herself. She did admit how crazy her plan was, but she said that she had no choice but to bring them along. She couldn't just leave them alone in the lighthouse. Even when Cobalt assured her that the lighthouse would be protected, Moynihan still wasn't entirely happy with the idea of leaving them there.

Stone finally stepped in. He wasn't crazy about the idea either, but he did offer Moynihan a suggestion. He said that Rump can some with only under the condition that he is well behaved and participates in battle. He says that Rump's form has a powerful bite that would be useful against the Darkarians. Moynihan was horrified with the idea of Rump being trained to be a killer, but Stone says it was either that, or Rump stayed behind.

When questioned about Cerulean, the bird, Stone had less of an idea. The bird was a mutantsaur at one point, but he had lost that form when the Dino Squad de-oozed him. So he would be useless as a fighter. The bird wasn't intelligent enough to be a scout either. It wasn't that it couldn't be trained to fly over enemy grounds, but even if they managed that, there was no way for Cerulean to relay information. They could try tying messages to his feet, but he wasn't sure of what use that would be when they had other means of communication.

Moynihan started to feel even more guilty, so she decided to let Cerulean remain at the lighthouse. Stone smiled at this and said it would work out perfectly. He turned to Cobalt and declared him to be Cerulean's temporary official caretaker. Cobalt didn't like the idea, but he couldn't object his father's wishes. He nodded his head and went upstairs to being taking care of the bird. Now that the problem of the pets was solved, the Dino Squad said they were ready to leave now.

They all headed outside, carrying their things. Donovan said they won't need a car to get to the tunnel. He said it was only a few feet along the side of the lighthouse. The group headed down the side of the lighthouse. The hill was very steep and it was all too easy to fall down. So they had to walk down the length. The hillside slowly lowered down. They were careful not to get too close to the edge, or else they'll fall down and die or get seriously hurt from the height alone.

As they got down lower, they could see the gates, water flowing through it, that they had exited before using the seafaring machine the first time they had joined together as a team. The tunnel lead into Moynihan's laboratory. Some had expressed confusion and told Donovan that this tunnel of his was actually one of their own. But this caused Donovan to laugh and reminded them that the other tunnel was further along the side and more well hidden then the gated tunnel.

They soon reached the bottom. It was difficult walking with their things along the edge of the water. They had to be careful not to fall in. The water was deep even at this area. The edges were thin and rocky, making it easy to trip. They walked in a single file along the edge. Stone was in the front with Donovan directly behind him. They walked along the edge until they reached the watery area where the gate was. They stopped and stared at the water, realizing how difficult it was going to be to cross without a problem occurring.

There was only one viable solution any of them could see. Stone pointed his head at the rock face above them. There was some leverage there that they could take advantage of. Although it took the others some convincing, they reluctantly agreed. Stone and Donovan offered to help them since they were carrying large bags. They escorted each human across one by one. They stood on each side of the person, offering support. With their sharp talons, they clung easily to the rock face. Slowly, but surely, they managed to get everyone across without much of a problem. A bag did fall into the water, but it was insignificant and Stone says they could leave it behind.

They continued walking, getting nervous at how even narrower the ledges were getting now. It soon got the point where Stone and Donovan had to start walking on the side while the Dino Squad had to resort to walking with one foot out in front of them like they were trying to walk a straight line. This way was getting uncomfortable and a few opted to go dino instead. This was quickly forbidden as transforming would reveal their location. Sighing, they continued to walk along the edge for about ten minutes.

Finally, after about forty feet along the edge, they saw strange anomaly. No one bothered telling Stone that forty feet wasn't a couple; they were just glad they had found something. They moved towards it. There was a large indention in the side. Several vines covered the front of it, giving it a solid, mossy kind of look. This had to be the hole Donovan was talking about, and they were proven right when Donovan moved closer to the opening. Using his claws, the black alimon moved the vegetation out of the way, and the Dino Squad quickly saw another reason for why it was so well hidden.

Inside, there was wide, flat disk. It almost looked like there was no tunnel at all. Instead, on the flat surface, they saw that it was painted dark. Donovan explained that he wasn't sure how long this would fool the Darkarians, but it worked the two times the Darkarians had been in this area. The dark brown fools their minds mentally, making it look like the tunnel ended suddenly. The brown was decorative, giving the illusion of a rocky inside. And being scentless, it wouldn't draw Darkarian attention as easily.

Stone gave a nod to Donovan, who went to open up the shaft. It slowly sank into the ground after a hidden button was pushed. The tunnel was exposed. The Dino Squad were expecting to be greeted by darkness, but they were shocked at how well lit the tunnel actually was. A series of tiny white lights, on both sides, filled the tunnel. With encouragement from the two alimons that were going with them, they entered the tunnel one by one.

The path was about twice as wide as what they were in before. So this was something of a relief to them. They still walked in single file. Rump's ears perked up and he was turning his nose left and right, sniffing the tunnel. He was being held by Moynihan so he wouldn't run away. The dog was getting frustrated and wanting to explore more, causing Moynihan to tighten her grip on him. She stroked the top of his head and told him to calm down.

The tunnel was made of earth. It wasn't smooth at all, and dirt and mud easily kicked up as they walked. There was some moistness as well, causing some people to feel a little damp as they walked through. The tunnels were about four feet taller than them, giving about just enough room for Donovan and Stone. After a few minutes of walking, they came across something strange. It was a metallic looking lining in the ground, circling all the way around. It gave off a low humming sound.

Rodger walked up close to it, pushing his way around the others. He stood in front of the device, knelt down, and stared at it. "This is some weird looking tech. I can't even tell what it does. It's not a barrier I don't think..."

"And you would be right on that." Stone said. "It's an invisible shield of sorts. Not the kind to keep anything out; but to block most signals. As soon as you walk past it, you'll be safe to go to dino mode..not that you'd want to in here." He chuckled at that statement. "Now, let's proceed."

As they walked through the dirt tunnel, it started to bend upwards and down. Trekking through was difficult and was so exhausting that even Max, the athlete of the group, was getting tired from it. The Dino Squad noted that the alimons were likely all in very good shape since Donovan and Stone didn't seem fazed by the tunnel twisting and turning the way that it was. Some, especially Rodger and Buzz, were tempted to stop and rest, but Donovan warned them that they will not wait up for them. This encouraged the two to keep up pace, even as their hearts started to beat faster and sweat began to form.

Eventually the tunnel stopped twisting, much to their relief, and split off into three directions. Stone and Donovan stopped at this intersection and looked at each other. They began whispering, too soft for them to hear. The Dino Squad wondered what they were talking about and if they were lost. This was answered when the alimons gestured for them to keep going straight. As they walked by the tunnels, they saw why they wanted to go straight: one tunnel was a dead end with what appeared to be a bunch of files and the other tunnel headed in the opposite direction, perhaps to a completely different location than what they wanted.

They headed straight for several minutes, perhaps around fifteen minutes, before they started realizing there was a bright light shining just ahead of them. The tunnel seemed to stop and there ahead was the source of the light. Being in dimly lit tunnels made them shield their eyes as they walked through. Buzz bumped into Caruso, Max accidentally stepped on Michelle's foot, and Rump's struggles caused Terri to fall over. Donovan chastised them for a few seconds before gesturing for them to continue walking forward.

They soon stepped through the opening. They found themselves entering, for a lack of a better term, a large hole in the ground. The ceiling was very high here, held in place naturally by a dome shape. It seemed large enough to allow Max to go dino. But they soon saw why Stone suggested not to go dino here. The room was filled with alimons, both male and female, of different colors, walking around, some carrying papers, others pushing devices along, some tending to machinery, and some chatting with each other.

The room looked almost like a business room, except there were no separation walls; the alimons seemed to work together as a whole rather than separate each other behind what they probably felt as useless walls. There were no desks or chairs either. The alimons did their work either on a naturally raised platform or on the ground. They seemed content on sitting on the ground as it was. Perhaps they were just used to sitting like that and saw no need for chairs. There were no normal lightbulbs either; instead there was a bright, glowing strip along the ceiling, which provided sufficient light for the working alimons.

Caruso was the first one to notice something else about the room. Overhead, there appeared to be several small, clustered tunnels jetting out of the ceiling. They almost reminded him of instruments that people at school would play. "Hey, what are those for?" He asked Stone, pointing up towards the ceiling.

Stone turned his head up at what Caruso pointed at. Upon seeing the structure, he smiled and looked back at Caruso. "That's our communication system here. Er, well our announcement system that is. We use that to send urgent orders through. And if you're worried about it being intercepted, I told you about the field earlier. That prevents leakage."

"But why not use more high tech gear?" Rodger asked. He pointed at one of the machinery sitting against the wall. "Like that? Whatever it is..."

"That's one of our several data containment computers." Stone explained. "Not really that much more advanced than what you humans use at school."

"And our cave talkers, as we like to call them, easy name to remember, are a better choice because they don't require any power." Donovan explained. "So if the power goes out, instead of being defenseless like the time you guys lost your light house shield, or pretty much doomed like the submarine we were originally going to take, we can still operate pretty well."

Moynihan narrowed her eyes. She had been proud of her submarine, and was tempted to inform Donovan that they would have had a shield on them at all times if they had taken it. She didn't understand the sudden change in plans. The alimons didn't fully explain it to her, other than they thought of another tunnel they could take. She didn't say anything to Donovan, not seeing it worth a fight.

Donovan noticed this and shook his head. "You really must keep your temper under control, Ms. Moynihan. We wouldn't want another incident, now would we?"

Moynihan gritted her teeth, but caught herself before she made a snide remark. "Yes...I understand." She rubbed her head. She didn't understand what was happening to her. "I apologize."

Stone, who was watching with an uncomfortable expression on his face, straightened his head and cleared his throat. "Now we should continue on. This isn't where we should be." Stone said. "This is our data interpretation room. The meeting room is where we want to be and it's not that far away. We're right next to it actually."

Stone and his adviser led the Dino Squad alongside the wall of the room towards the left. They noticed there was another opening. This one was slightly higher than the last tunnel they were in, which made them feel a little more comfortable. The tunnel had an upward slope and was slippery in a few places, making it hard for the Dino Squad to navigate without tripping over, hitting against the hard surface. The tunnel didn't stay like this for long, thankfully, and it quickly opened up to another room.

This room was stark different than the other room. This was the first thing that the team of dinosaur morphing humans had noticed. While the other room was a little technical, this room was mostly plain save for a few flags and pictures on the walls, placed there with sharp bones stuck into the walls. The room also had a high ceiling, but was more heavily decorated with stalactites than the other room. Another ring of light was present here.

Unlike the last room, this one did have some kind of furniture. There were many rows of what appeared to be hastily cut logs on the ground, positioned in a way that would be comfortable for alimons, but not as comfortable for two legged creatures like humans. And out in front of the rows of logs, there was a large rock jetting out, hanging over the rows of log seats. There was a passageway beside it, which the Dino Squad assumed headed upwards. They also noticed another cave talker located further back on the jetted rock, obscured partially by the shadows.

"This is where we hold meetings. We apologize for the seats. They are pretty knew." Stone explained as he guided the Dino Squad forward in a passageway through the seats. "We only recently thought of them. We alimons are not used to what you humans call seats. The ground is enough for us."

"Yeah we can tell." Caruso grumbled, his legs aching from the rough walking.

"You humans, sit in the front row here." Donovan said. He pointed to a front row of log seats placed quite close to the jetted rock overhead. "Stone and I will gather up some of our most important alimon members to discuss what needs to be done." As the Dino Squad sat down, shifting to get comfortable, he added, "And do not speak unless you are asked to speak. This is very important, and the last thing we need are any smart alack remarks." His eyes fell on Caruso. "This includes you too, pretty boy."

Caruso narrowed his eyes. "Okay I get it."

___

At the conquered business building, Axel held onto the struggling Raptor Dyne survivor. It wasn't any of the dinosaur transformers, but she didn't care about that. She had found him trying to crawl past defenses. How he survived, she wouldn't know. But that didn't matter anymore. He wouldn't be alive for very long. She set her jaws on his head and bit down hard. His skull cracked open easily. Blood poured heavily on her body and on the ground. His brains splattered in her mouth and dripped down. She pulled his brain out and swallowed it in seconds. She released the body and it fell to the ground in a heap.

She was about to walk away from it, but she paused, thinking to herself. "Hmm..I shouldn't just waste this meat..." She told herself. She wasn't really hungry at the moment, but the brain did taste delicious. She wondered if the rest of him would as well. She grabbed the human by his neck and lifted him up again. She opened her jaws again and shut them tightly around the throat and ripped off a chunk of meat.

As she swallowed, she was interrupted by another Darkarian. She hissed softly as she turned towards the intruder. It was only Blanco. She almost laughed at the sight of him. He was one of the most cowardly of the Darkarians, and it showed. He was not even that close to her and he was already trembling. Then again, that was probably because he knew how dangerous she was.

"E-Excuse me Axel, b-b-but our leaders wanted to speak to you." Blanco said, his tail twitching nervously. Axel glared at him and cocked an eyebrow. Without waiting for her to chastise him to continue, he said, "They wanted to know if you did your task they had asked of you."

Axel groaned and rolled her eyes. She didn't like doing the leaders' work, especially when it was her idea to begin with and they claim it was theirs. They loved to steal ideas, but she was used to that. It just didn't surprise her. "Well of course I did. Why else would I corner those humans' parents and force them to do my bidding? Oh it was a thrill though! The look in their eyes!" She laughed.

Blanco gulped at this. He lowered his head and took a step backwards. He wasn't thrilled with what they were doing, and he wasn't alone. A few others, including Axel's own sister, Tana, had no interest in fighting the Darkarians. Tana herself had supposedly escaped. He wished he had gone with her to help her, but he was stuck here instead. He was sick of being pushed around by the other Darkarians simply because he didn't fall into their hive mind set. But what could he do? He was too weak to fight any of them, and too much of a coward.

Before he could say anything to Axel, he nearly jumped aside as another alimon brushed passed him without looking. It was Haze and he didn't look very happy. Blanco's feathers fell flat against his neck. He knew how Haze could get when he wasn't happy. Not wanting to be a part of what was going to go down and knowing his task was complete, Blanco raced away from the room and down the stair case.

"Oh Haze, what do you want?" Axel said in a matter-of-fact kind of voice. She smirked at the Darkarian, knowing how jealous he was that he wasn't a leader yet. "Don't think you can instigate me into a fight. I don't need to waste my time with the likes of you. Not a very good fighter, are you?"

"Oh shut your trap!" Haze said. Axel looked offended, but said nothing. "That's better." Haze said, pretending to believe that the yellow female would listen to him. "Why did you have to do such a foolish thing and try something like that? Using an untested device for..whatever it is you want? Do you have any idea how much danger that could put us all in?"

Axel blinked at him. Then she burst out laughing. "This is too rich! You, actually concerned with safety?!" She placed her head against her front paw, her claws pressed against her skin as she laughed. Haze just glared at her. "I don't believe it. This isn't like you, Haze! Oh! Is this another of your attempts to suck up to the leaders and make them give you a chance?"

"No! I've always been worried about procedures!" Haze said. He couldn't make this statement sound more like a lie if he tried. He growled softly, oblivious to this fact, and said, "It is you who has always been reckless. And yet the council prefers you over me! Why?!"

Axel huffed and tossed the human carcass away. She was no longer interested in eating it. She said, "It is a waste pleasing those leaders. Do you honestly care about what they want? They're nothing to me." She got close in Haze's face, her blue eyes staring deeply into his. Haze instinctively backed away from her. "If you want to continue kissing their claws, you can be my guest. As for me, the only reason I'm sticking around with those losers is because they give me want I want: a chance to kill, and I love to kill."

Standing away from the pair, hidden in shadow, was Stormwhite. His dual colored eyes widened at what Axel was saying, and yet something about his expression said that he was not too surprised by her behavior. Being as quiet as he could, he turned around and took off running in the opposite direction.

___

Moynihan wandered through the thin hallway. The meeting hadn't officially begun yet, but she said she had to use the restroom. Stone instructed her on which way to go, and she followed his instructions to the best of her ability. However, she had lied about why she wanted to leave. She didn't need to go yet. She just wanted some quiet time to herself. These tunnels were quiet enough for her.

Something had been bothering her, some nagging feeling. It wasn't her slow change in attitude she was experiencing, the whole snapping more easily. No, something else was on her mind, something she hadn't really shared with anyone. And it had to do with Stone. There was something so familiar about him when he was in alimon form, but she couldn't pinpoint it. She couldn't help but feel she had met him somewhere before in that form, but that was impossible right? She had only recently seen his alimon form. There was no way she had met him before that...or was it?

Seeing Stone's face seemed to bring forth flashbacks. Or were they flashbacks at all? Either way, she had visions in her mind walking beside a smiling Stone. She couldn't help it. Even though she knew it made no sense at all, she found herself feeling an almost parental connection to Stone. But all her life, she never remembered being a part of any family other than a raptor family. So what could explain these supposed memories? She wondered if she should just dismiss them as false. After all, she knew of humans who develop false memories. One couldn't always trust their mind. But then, would that mean her own memories she believed to be real...were not?

Lost in her thoughts, the old woman did not notice an alimon walking in her direction. She didn't react in time and she slammed against the large animal. The alimon, a male with orange and mostly light blue skin, stumbled back. Moynihan took a step back and stared at him. He glared at her, looking very displeased with her.

"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going!" The alimon shouted at her, raising his tail in a challenge.

"I'm sorry, Mudrock." Moynihan said. She stopped herself, blinking. How did she knew the alimon's name?

Confirming his name was indeed Mudrock, he said, "I'm surprised you still remember my name after all these years." He let out an unusually cold laugh for a Rock Ranger. "I guess Stone wasn't so foolish after all taking you in."

Moynihan was surprised and taken aback by this Rock Ranger's rude behavior. But she found herself more intrigued by what he said. "What did you mean by taking me in? Oh you mean bringing me and my students here?"

"What did Stone ever see in you?" Mudrock muttered, rolling his eyes. "No, he brought you with our pack before. But let me guess, you don't remember do you?" He said, grinning. Moynihan, confused, shook her head slowly. "Well let me fill you in. Stone raised you."

Flabbergasted, Moynihan said in a slightly shaky voice, "He..he what?"

"You heard me. He raised you." Mudrock said before he decided to leave Moynihan alone.


	38. Painful Past

Moynihan felt her legs become weak. She fell to the ground in absolute shock. Stone had raised her? But how was that possible? She doesn't even remember him from that long ago. It was impossible, wasn't it? She remembered being in a pack, a velociraptor pack at that. They weren't alimons. They were of her own kind. Those were her earliest memories. So could Stone have been the one to raise her? It just didn't make any sense to her.

She continued down the pathway, but at a much slower pace. Her mind kept wandering to what Mudrock had said. It wouldn't leave her alone. The nagging feeling made her heart ache and her head spin. She put her hand against her forehead, trying to make sense of it all. She soon found herself moving too close to the walls of the cave. She pushed up against it, knocking herself around a little. But she paid it no mind, acting as if nothing was happening. She ignored the stares she got from passerby alimons.

She began to wonder if she had remembered her life wrong. Her father teaching her how to hunt, her mother showing her where the best hiding spots are, were those all fake memories? She shook her head. No, they couldn't be fake. She knew it from the bottom of her heart that they were real memories. Mudrock must have just wanted to unsettle her. He did seem like a nasty sort, the way he acted towards her unprovoked like that. She wouldn't be surprised if he just made that stuff up to get back at her for some reason.

She turned around a corner and nearly ran into another alimon. She took a few steps back. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to almost run into you! I was just..." She stopped herself as she stared at the new alimon. The alimon was a female, judging from her mane along her neck. She was covered in green and teal skin. Her expression was noticeably softer than Mudrock's. Just like Stone, this alimon seemed to trigger something in the back of her mind. "...who are you?"

"I saw that encounter you had with Mudrock." The female alimon said softly. "Don't worry about him. Some Rock Rangers here have bad attitudes, but they won't lift a claw against you." She took a step towards Moynihan, lowering her head to be eye level with her. "As for me, you can call me Treestar."

Moynihan instantly recognized that name. "You're the one who helped Veloci escape the Darkarians, aren't you?"

"And someone else as well." Treestar nodded her head. "But she decided not to join us. She went off somewhere else."

"Who? And where did she go?" Moynihan inquired.

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but she made me promise not to tell." Treestar said. She paused for a moment. She seemed like she wanted to get back on the subject. "About what Mudrock said..."

Moynihan raised her hand up. "Don't worry about it. I know he just said that to make me angry, but he will have to do harder than that."

"No. That's not what I was going to tell you." Treestar said, invoking a look of confusion from the old woman. Treestar sat down, her tail moving slowly up and down, hitting the ground gently. "He may be a jerk, but he isn't much of a good liar. What he told you was the truth."

Moynihan gasped, clutched her chest, and moved back from the female alimon. She felt herself spin once more. "You...you mean that..Stone did raise me?"

Treestar nodded her head. "That is correct, Moynihan. As did I." She watched as the woman grabbed her head, a pained look on her face. "And to put your mind at ease, yes you were part of a velociraptor family through adulthood. We raised you and Veloci only while you were very young, and it was just temporary."

Moynihan stared at her. "Veloci too?" The alimon nodded. Moynihan stammered. She was even more confused. Veloci didn't remember any of this, did he? He never mentioned it. He was just as shocked about the alimons as she was. "How..what happened?"

"I was afraid that this day would come." Treestar said, her expression saddened. She turned her head away. "I've prepared for this moment, but no matter how hard I tried, I can never be prepared enough." She looked back at Moynihan. "Do you wish to know the reason why you've stared to become more aggressive?"

Moynihan's eye widened at this. Had Treestar known about her increased aggressive tendencies? Did Stone tell her about how she had snapped at one of her students back at the school? She narrowed her eyes slowly. "It's because of Veloci. He did something to me...made me go feral." She was not prepared for the response Treestar was about to give her.

Treestar shook her head and gave her a serious look. "No...that wasn't the reason."

Moynihan stared at her in shock. "But..how could it not be?"

Treestar raised a paw. "Don't get me wrong. That did have something to do with it. But..Moynihan..listen. There's another, deeper reason why you've become like this. It's something in your subconscious, that faintly remembers what had happened to you. It has laid dormant inside of you all this time. But now is the time for me to tell you what had happened."

*Past*:

Red Shadow and his mate, Green Scale, were running for their lives, racing across the forest floor. They could feel their hearts pounding so hard they thought they'd break open. Their legs were getting tired and their lungs were burning as well as their throats. But they couldn't stop now. They had to keep going. In their mouths, they gently carried their chicks, one male and one female.

Behind them, they could hear the growls and grunts of a big predator running after them. They dared not look behind them. They were too afraid to. They could feel the massive footfalls of the predator coming after them. They could hear it slobber and hiss. They could almost feel its breath on them despite them still having enough distance between them. They knew if they didn't get away soon, they would feel those horrid teeth on their necks.

The two velociraptors ran through the thick foliage. They ignored the thorns scraping at them and the unusually sharp rocks of this part of the forest. They normally didn't come here, but they thought it would make for a great deterrent for the creature chasing them. They endured several minutes of this more hazardous part of this area. They jumped out, coming out to a small river with waves crashing against hard rocks. They didn't hesitate to jump onto the rocks and cross it.

Up ahead, they could see a burrow. It looked abandoned. It also looked big enough to hold them. The burrow was pressed up against a large boulder and further shielded by low hanging tree branches. They didn't bother looking behind them as they raced towards the burrow. They stood in front of it, pausing to wonder what to make of it.

Green Scale hesitated, taking a step back. "I don't know about this, Red Shadow. What if those annoying hairy things are down there?" She inquired, her voice muffled from holding the chick.

"You're worried about those pests? They're harmless!" Red Shadow said, his voice also muffled.

"Yes I know." Green Scale said. "But it's just that... What if they reveal our location? You know how they can get. They might accidentally make us flush ourselves out."

Red Shadow opened his mouth, but stopped. He looked out across to the river. He could see the leaves rustling. His eyes widened. He turned to his mate. "We don't have time for this! Just jump in!"

At that moment, they both heard a loud roar. Their chicks shrieked in response. The adult velociraptors turned their heads to the sound. There, standing on the beach roaring at them, was the green creature who had been chasing them. The creature had called himself an alimon, and has said that his name was Haze. A most unusual name, but they didn't care about that. What did they did care about now was that the alimon was crossing the river to get to them, and he was moving at impressive speed for an animal his size.

Red Shadow gave the second chick to his mate and said, "Take them and go in there! I'll try to fend off the alimon. If I fail and the monster comes after you, take the chicks and run!"

Green Scale watched as he turned and ran towards the river to meet with the alimon. She wanted to say something to stop him, but she knew he was right. She held onto her chicks and moved into the burrow. She pushed her way into it, trying to get as far down as she could. She had to use her hands and feet to kick away some dirt to make room, but she managed to get deep enough in.

The burrow was small and cramped, with worms and bugs wiggling through the dirt, but it would have to do. At least it didn't have any of those odd hairy creatures. She shuddered at the thought. All they would have to do is bite her in the right place to make her jump out of the burrow and expose herself. She hoped that Red Shadow could fend off the alimon. He was one of the pack's best hunters after all. She was a little confused that he didn't want her fighting with him, but it made sense. Someone had to take care of the chicks.

She looked at her chicks, who were huddled up against her now. They were chirping in fear. She lowered her head and licked the tops of their heads. They didn't understand what was going on and they were scared out of their little minds. She placed her head against them, pushing them more firmly against her body. She wished she could do more to comfort them. She turned her head towards the hole above her. She wondered how her mate was doing.

Red Shadow planted his feet firmly on the ground, feeling the dirt clump up between his toes. He tapped his sickle claws against the ground threateningly, a warning to the alimon crossing the river. The alimon had stopped on the final stone and was glaring at him. He narrowed his eyes back, opening his mouth in a hiss.

"Leave this place, alimon, or whatever you call yourself! These are not your lands!" Red Shadow proclaimed. He raised his hands up towards Haze, showing off his claws. "You will not wipe out the remainder of my pack! Not while I'm still here!"

Haze tilted his head. Then he threw it back and laughed loudly. "You're something, aren't you? You think you can give me orders? No, these lands don't belong to you. This place..no..the entire world, belongs to me and the pack I belong to!"

The red velociraptor was shocked by this. "Taking over the world? No..that's..not even conceivable! You're crazy! No predator would ever..."

There was an insane look in Haze's eyes as he answered the velociraptor's question. "You don't get it, do you? I won't bother explaining to you..." He began to walk off the rock, stepping onto the dry land. Red Shadow moved back from him. "Your inferior species don't deserve to know. But rest assured that one day, my species will claim all the lands as our own!"

Red Shadow growled. "I won't let that happen! These lands are ours!" Suddenly, he howled in pain as the alimon struck him across the face. He felt the sharp claws dig into his skin and leave long gashes along his cheek. He fell to the ground.

Haze stood over the velociraptor. "I wasn't asking for your permission!" The velociraptor looked up at the alimon, blood streaming down his face. "Now die!" The alimon seized the smaller dinosaur's neck in his jaws before he could react. He lifted him off the ground and began slamming him into the ground has hard as he could.

Red Shadow cried in pain, struggling to escape the jaws of the alimon. He pushed on Haze's snout and kicked at his sides. But the alimon didn't let go and continued to ruthlessly slam him into the ground. In a desperate attempt to free himself, Red Shadow drove his sickle claw against one of the alimon's front limbs. This did the trick. The alimon released him and howled in pain. Red Shadow fell to the ground in a thud, groaning. He tried to get off the ground, but his freedom was short lived. The alimon pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

Red Shadow moved his eye up towards Haze, watching as the alimon bared his teeth close to his head. He watched as Haze moved his head to another part of his body. He tried to watch in curiosity, but the alimon's head had moved out of view. He soon found out what the alimon was up to. He felt the alimon's jaws set on his right leg. Desperate, he started to kick his leg, but he couldn't get it free. Haze pulled on the leg roughly, tugging it at an odd angle. Red Shadow closed his eyes tightly as Haze increased the pressure on the pulling, feeling his skin beginning to tear.

Haze tightened his grip on the leg and pulled back sharply suddenly. Red Shadow's eyes widened in agony as his leg was ripped out from the socket. Haze held his leg in his jaws for a few seconds. Bone, vessels, and muscle were exposed as blood dripped from the severed leg. He dropped the leg beside Red Shadow's head so that the smaller predator could see. Red Shadow stared in horror at his severed leg. All that remained of it on his body now was part of the bone that connected it to him and a few torn ligaments and tendons along with a few shredded muscle and skin. Blood poured out of his open wound.

He didn't have time to completely register what had happened to him because Haze was starting to make his second move. He soon felt the fangs on him again, this time on his right arm. The alimon pulled hard on the arm, pulling it away from the velociraptor's body. He placed his foot on the arm and twisted his head as he clamped down harder. Red Shadow roared painfully as waves of agony shot through his body. He felt his arm start to crack in the middle, the bones splintering, and then Haze yanked upwards.

The arm came off easily. Haze held the severed arm high into the air. Blood dripped from the opening. Muscle and tendon bits hung loosely from the edges. The crimson liquid also started to drip out of Red Shadow's body. He wiggled what was left of his arm, trying in vain to attack the stronger animal. Haze stared at this and swallowed the portion he ripped off whole. Then he went for the remainder of the arm. He gripped it tightly and ripped it off, causing more blood flow.

Now Red Shadow was missing half of his limbs, both on the same side. In their place were just large openings, exposing what was left of the bone and the muscle surrounding the area. His remaining limbs kicked as he writhed in agony. He started to realize fighting Haze alone was a big mistake. He turned his head over towards the burrow, his mind racing, filled with pain. He tried out let out a call for help, but Haze clamped his jaws shut with a paw. The alimon tilted his head so that one of his eyes looked up at him.

"Oh no..We can't be having that..." Haze said, narrowing his eyes. He was not going to have this pathetic creature call for help and ruin his victory. He knew he had to silence him before he could finish him off. And he knew just how to do that.

Haze pushed Red Shadow's snout upwards so that his throat was exposed. He took his other paw and pushed the talons into the neck. He sliced through the neck, using his claws to slice through the folds that allowed Red Shadow to make words. He pulled his paw out, now dripping with blood. There was now a deep gash in the velociraptor's neck. His esophagus was visible, along with muscle and vessels. His vocal cords could be seen, now ripped to shreds. Haze had been skillful; he managed to avoid the major blood vessels so Red Shadow wouldn't die just yet.

Red Shadow tried to cry out. But with his vocals slashed, he was unable to make any noise other than a gurgling sound. Blood dripped from his mouth. He lifted up his head and tried to roar at the alimon. But all that came out was a bubbling sound and a cough. A glob of blood and tissue fell from his mouth. He collapsed his head onto the ground. Haze smirked down at him and lowered his head.

"I usually don't take my time with this. But I must impress my elders. This is my first hunt after all. You understand right?" Haze spoke. He knew Red Shadow wouldn't be able to respond. But that didn't bother him. He just took the silence as a yes and said, "I knew you would understand. Don't worry. I'll try to make this quick for you. But no promises, okay?"

The next few minutes were torture for Red Shadow. It seemed to go on for hours. Over the next few moments, Haze proceeded to dismember him. He pushed him onto his other side and began to rip off his other limbs. He started with the arm and twisted it out of its socket. He went for the leg. He used his jaws to break it in many places and then pulled it out of his body. Then finally, his tail was gone. It was ripped at the base, though it took Haze a while to bite and slice through the thick meat in the tail. The only thing still attached to his body now was his head.

Haze went for the head next. He placed his teeth on the base of his neck. He bit down hard. Red Shadow's eyes widened as he felt the teeth grind through. He soon found it hard to breathe. He opened his mouth wider to try to get more air. But the alimon sliced through his breathing tube effectively. He then pulled the neck from the body, decapitating him. The last thing Red Shadow was aware of before he died was the feeling of hitting the ground and Haze's teeth biting through his skull, piercing his brain.

Green Scale noticed it had gotten quiet. She growled worriedly. She didn't know what to do. She looked down at her chicks. She had to keep them safe. But the silence was worrying to her. Had her mate been knocked out? Had he been trying to call to her for help? Or had he won? He could have beaten the alimon and maybe he was waiting for her now. There was only one way to find out.

Taking in a deep breath, Green Scale started to push her head through the opening. She stuck her head out and looked around. She noticed there was nobody around. She thought that was strange. Perhaps Red Shadow and the alimon named Haze had simply ran off somewhere else. It was certainly possible. It would also explain why it had gotten quiet now. She lifted her head up higher to try to see more, but she was unable to spot her mate or the intruder. She was about to go back down the hole when there was a sudden thud to her left side. She looked over and her eyes widened only slightly at what she saw.

She could see Red Shadow's head there, turned slightly away from her. He looked like he had been hurt, but she couldn't see any signs of trauma. She moved her head over to him and said, "Red Shadow! What happened? Where is the alimon?" But he didn't answer. She widened her eyes. "Red Shadow?" She nudged him only to find his head rolling away. She screamed in shock. Now she could see the lethal injuries he had sustained.

Before she could move down the hole again, she felt something bite into her shoulder. She roared in agony as she was roughly pulled from the burrow. She felt the attacker push her into the ground roughly, twisting the jaws to rip up her shoulder. Blood poured from the wound profusely. She kicked her legs frantically, trying to get away. She twisted her head around and managed to bite her attacker, Haze, at the base of his neck and ripped out a chunk of his flesh. He released her as he howled painfully.

But as soon as he released her, he grabbed onto her again. One paw grabbed her bottom jaw and his other roughly seized her top jaw. The alimon glared down at her and said, "You need to be taught a lesson! No biting!" With that, he started to pull her jaws apart. Green Scale screamed loudly as she felt her jaws coming apart. Her jaw joint ached horribly. The alimon kept pulling the female velociraptor's jaws apart until he heard a loud crack. "There, isn't that better now?" He said as he released her, staring down at her.

Green Scale's bottom jaw had been pulled out of the joint, but it was still connected to her head by the loose skin. Her top jaw had busted in the middle, making it impossible to breathe through there. She was forced to breathe through her mouth. She looked up at the alimon and couldn't help but wonder why he had done this. What joy did he get from torturing? What did he hope to accomplish? She was angry at what he had done to Red Shadow and even angrier at whatever reason he had to be like this.

Haze seemed to notice what she thinking, using her facial expression to judge. He took a step towards her. "I know this is all confusing for you. But inferior animals like yourself would never understand, so there's no point in explaining myself. I will make sure you suffer the same fate as your mate, along with your chicks. That is my only gift to you." He put his paw on her side. "Now hold still so this can go faster."

Haze returned his head to her shoulder. He bit down hard. Green Scale cried out in pain as she felt the alimon dig his teeth in deeper into her body. Then she felt the pain of her backbone being scraped against. She realized that Haze was going to break her spinal cord. She couldn't let that happen. She began to struggle, kicking her legs at Haze. But the alimon was too swift for her. He gave one final crunch down on the backbone before it busted in his teeth. Green Scale immediately lost control of her legs, tail, and arms. They now rested on the ground limply. She could no longer move them, but she could still feel them.

Releasing his grip on the shoulder, he now moved lower. He bit down on her belly. Immediately she let out a loud cry of agony. Haze sliced her open easily with his teeth. He pulled away, blood flowing rapidly from her body. He dropped the chunk of flesh he had ripped out of her. He could see her intestines, gallbladder, liver, and other organs now. He stuck his head into her body and seized the intestines in his jaws. He pulled them out, shredding them along the way. He continued to do this until all of her intestines were out. Then he stuck his head back inside and went for the liver. He sank his teeth into it and pulled it out. His face coated in blood, he swallowed the liver whole. He licked his jaws.

"Now time to finish this." Haze said to the agonizing female velociraptor at his feet. Despite her cord being severed, some little movement remained. He could see her feet and tail twitch in pain. He would soon put an end to that.

He pushed Green Scale onto her back. He heard the sloshing of her exposed organs as bits that remained fell back into her wound. He stared at her chest for several seconds. Then without warning, he bit down on it. He used his paws to hold her body down as he gripped her chest tightly. He pulled away, ripping off the meat. He went back down and pulled off more. He did this until he exposed her ribcage, caked in blood. He could see her heart beating, pushed far up inside her for protection.

He grabbed her ribcage with his paws and pulled on them hard. Green Scale yelped as she felt her ribs crack. When Haze opened her ribs enough, he released her. He stuck his head into her chest and went for her heart. Green Scale growled and whimpered in pain and discomfort. Her eyes widened as he felt the alimon slice through her heart with his teeth. She was instantly gone when the alimon pulled the heart out of her body. He stood triumphantly over her now dead form and dropped her shredded heart to the ground.

"..mama...?"

The soft voice caught Haze by surprise. He tensed up. He looked over and saw something moving in the burrow. He caught a glimpse of what looked like a tail. He moved towards it. Soon he was standing over the burrow, looking down. He could see two velociraptor chicks in there. They were huddled together. He instantly recognized them from the den he had raided. He narrowed his eyes.

"Looks like you two are the only ones left of your pack." Haze said, licking his lips. "It should be easy to dispose of you." The chicks shivered as Haze placed his paws at the entrance of the burrow. He stuck his head in, attempting to bite at the chicks. The two youngsters cried out for their mother and father.

Haze was almost able to snag one of the crying children when he felt something grab his neck. His eyes snapped wide as he felt the grip around his neck tighten. He was lifted up into the air by something big. His eyes drifted upwards and he found himself staring at the bared muzzle of another alimon. Haze narrowed his eyes when he recognized the alimon. There was no mistaking this black and white alimon. It was Kenichi.

"You..how dare the Darkarian mission!" Haze shouted. He swatted at Kenichi. "You stupid Rock Ranger!"

Kenichi didn't react for a few seconds. Then he narrowed his eyes, gripped Haze's neck with his other arm, and roared loudly in his face. He then tossed Haze into the ground. He watched as the Darkarian rolled across the floor. When he came to a stop, Kenichi walked towards him. He grabbed his tail before he could get up and then proceeded to pull him backwards. He threw Haze into the ground once more. This time, the force was enough to cause the Darkarian to tumble into the river's edge.

Haze shook his head and looked over at Kenichi. He hissed and roared at the Rock Ranger alimon. He was answered back by another, louder roar. He charged towards Kenichi, mouth wide open. He snapped his jaws at him, managing to snag one of his feathers. He pulled hard, but Kenichi knocked him loose with a swat of his paw. Undeterred, Haze went back for Kenichi again, this time going for the other's neck. The two alimons locked in combat, rolling across the dirt and rocks. They struck at each other, cutting into each other's skin. Blood stained the floor near the river. Some dripped into the water, some of the immediate water turning a pinkish color.

Finally, Kenichi managed to toss Haze against the ground again. He pinned him down onto his side. He dug his claws into the Darkarian's shoulder. "You always seem to forget, Haze. You may have some impressive skills, but you are not as high ranking as I am. You do not stand a chance against me! Leave now!" Haze responded by snapping his jaws close to his face. "You were always so immature. I will tell you again. Leave."

Haze laughed loudly. "Oh? You're going to make me leave?" Haze couldn't help but find this very amusing. Kenichi wasn't that old of an alimon. Maybe a little older than he was. Did he really think he had more experience than him at fighting? He knocked Kenichi off with his tail, got up, and said, "You and what army?"

Kenichi climbed up to his feet. There was a rustling sound in the distance. Footfalls were approaching. Haze stopped in his tracks. Kenichi smirked slyly. "This army." Haze took a few steps back, his feathers lowering. "What's the matter, coward? You don't want to fight us Rock Rangers when we're in a group?" He asked tauntingly.

Haze growled at this. He didn't like being mocked. But he knew he didn't have much of a chance. He had been foolish enough to wander here alone, outside of his assigned group. He wanted to prove he could be a leader and set out to show it by slaughtering the entire pack instead of just a few like he was told. Now he was going to pay the price with his life if he dared to stay here and fight, especially if Donovan and Stone were involved. He looked into the distance. He couldn't see the Rock Rangers yet, but he didn't want to stick around for the potential brawl.

Haze growled, "You win this time. I will leave. But mark my words, Rock Ranger fool! This isn't over! It will never be over!" He turned tail and ran away across the river. He disappeared into the distance.

Kenichi snorted at his direction. "What an idiot..." He heard a sound coming from the burrow. He wondered what the Darkarian had been trying to get at. He was in such a hurry to stop him that he didn't stop to think what he was tormenting.

It didn't take him long to realize what it was. He saw the remains of the two velociraptors laying on the ground. He gasped at the brutality displayed. The limbs ripped off, organs spilled on the ground, the torn up heart on the ground, he could tell this was definitely a Darkarian's doing. The smell of death was strong in the air. He walked towards them and sniffed their bodies. He recognized their scent. They were a velociraptor pack that lived in the area. While he didn't see any other bodies, he assumed that, since these two were a good distance from their den, Haze had killed or chased off the others.

He went over to the burrow. He looked inside and saw the two velociraptor chicks in there, cuddling up to each other for comfort. Kenichi was shocked by this. Was Haze going to kill these two? Part of him wasn't surprised. It was typical predatory behavior. But alimons, at least Rock Rangers, were trying to fade out this practice. This decision was made before the Darkarians existed. He thought that the Darkarians would adopt this, but this was evidence to the contrary. Seeing how scared these two were, Kenichi felt the anger rise up inside of him. Haze must have killed their parents right in front of their eyes.

He heard the footfalls grow louder. He knew that some more Rock Rangers were approaching the area. They would be here in a few minutes. He was about to leave, but he found he couldn't leave the velociraptor chicks. It was unheard of for the Rock Ranger pack to take in animals of other species. But he couldn't just leave the chicks here to starve to death. There was no way they could survive by themselves.

He stuck his head into the burrow. The chicks squealed in surprise. He smiled down at them. They hissed in response. "It's okay. I will not hurt you." Kenichi said as he proceeded to give them both a quick nuzzle. This seemed to calm them down slightly, but they were still scared. Kenichi grabbed them both in his jaws gently and lifted them up. He then walked in the direction where the other Rock Rangers were approaching.


	39. Softening Up

*Present*:

Moynihan stood there in shock and horror. She had long since fallen onto the ground as Treestar told her every detail of what happened. She recognized the name Haze. She had encountered him before. Now thinking about him brought about feelings of anger. She did her best to suppress the feelings, but it didn't do her much good. And what was worse was that she was starting to remember, very cloudy details, of the incident. The images that stuck so well into her mind that they lasted all this time, a brief flash of her mother being torn open, her father slaughtered just before. Even though it was so long ago, she couldn't help but feel a small tear go down her face.

Her thoughts went to Veloci. She wondered if he was just as impacted by what happened. A part of her began to pity him a little. Maybe that's why he was so unwilling to give up his aggressive side. Perhaps one part of him felt afraid, had felt that he needed to remain aggressive to protect himself. She still did not see it as an excuse for him to destroy mankind, but at least now she had an underlining cause to his unwillingness to let go of the past. She wondered if she should talk to him about. She quickly decided no. He was certainly not an affectionate type nowadays. He wouldn't listen to what she had to say. He still branded her a traitor.

Moynihan wanted to know more about what happened. There had to be more. She wanted to know now long they were with the alimon pack. She wanted to know how she was matched up with a pack, how the alimons convinced the velociraptor pack to let them join. Velociraptors were not well known to take in velociraptor chicks that were not their own. She wondered what strings Stone and Treestar had to pull for her and Veloci. And she wanted to thank them for it. She felt safer now that she and the Dino Squad were with the Rock Rangers.

And yet, she started to feel that Treestar had said enough. She looked emotionally upset as she told the story. It must not have been an easy thing for her to do. That seemed to suggest that she had seen the bodies themselves, had the sight imprinted in her mind. Alimons may have been carnivores, but even carnivores can be scarred for life at the sight of graphic violence. Even carnivores had their limits. And for Treestar, it must have been the sight of two baby velociraptors having their parents slaughtered right in front of their eyes.

She didn't need to say anything. Treestar had gotten up and said, "It took a lot of negotiation among the pack, but Stone and I did ultimately agree to let you and Veloci temporarily join the pack. We fed you and looked after you for about three weeks. We deliberately waited until you were a little older and a little stronger before seeking out the nearest velociraptor packs. We did find one that agreed, but believe me, it was very hard to convince them. They agreed because they owed us a favor as we helped them out with a dangerous task in the past."

"I'm not surprised." Moynihan admitted. "Velociraptor packs don't take too kindly to chicks who are not their own." She paused and then said, "Well depending on the pack of course. I don't recall being mistreated while in that pack. They really did feel like family to me."

"And they were. Biological connections are not needed for a family." Treestar said, smiling.

"I agree." Moynihan said, her thoughts going to Michelle.

Treestar frowned nervously. "I'm sorry to break the good mood, but I should tell you a little more." Moynihan leaned in to listen. "While you stayed with us, there was...something off about you. Veloci appeared to be mostly normal, though we could tell he suffered a lot too. But you..well you were different. And it scared us." Treestar looked at the ground, looking almost ashamed to be telling the story. "You were a little more aggressive, no a lot more aggressive, than what we had anticipated. You would have the most violent fits and the most violent outbursts when you were upset. It took quite the effort to calm you down. The best one for that job was Mudrock, shockingly."

"Mudrock? I think that was the male alimon I encountered earlier." Moynihan said. "He was sky blue and orange, nasty temper he had."

"Yeah that sounds like him all right. Truth be told, not many of us tolerate him that well." Treestar said.

"I'm not surprised." Moynihan said. "I almost forgot he was a Rock Ranger."

"Despite his temper, he can do good deeds. He was the deciding vote and he voted to let you and Veloci stay. So he is not all that bad. He just has some attitude problems." Treestar explained as softly as she could, though the tone of her voice suggested to Moynihan that, regardless, Treestar had a low opinion of Mudrock. "Now anyway, as I said, you had a nasty temper and the best one to call to calm you down was Mudrock. But then one day, the temper disappeared."

Moynihan looked surprised. "Disappeared?"

Treestar nodded. "Yes. Well not in just one day. It happened over the course of a couple days. But soon you were just as mellow as Veloci was. We thought we were in the clear and we wouldn't have to worry about it anymore, so we never told the pack about what had happened with you, with your aggression. It wasn't until very recently, when a scout reported strange behavior from you, that we realized that we were very wrong about our assumption."

Moynihan rubbed her head slowly. She remembered those days, the sudden craving for meat, the violent outbursts. It literally felt like her velociraptor side, her original self, was trying to rip her from the inside out and take over. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"We wished we had done something sooner, especially when a scout reported a velociraptor attack and identified it as you. But you see, we had sworn to a code of secrecy in this day and age. Disguised as humans, we had to hide so we could keep an eye on how things were going between you and Veloci. I do apologize if we came across as, well, creepy, but it was voted and decided that there was nothing else we could do. We didn't want to draw attention to ourselves, but we knew the dangers of the Darkarians, and to a lesser extent, Veloci. Monitoring was all we could do." Treestar said solemnly. "I cannot tell you how helpless I felt when we found out about Caruso's kidnapping."

Moynihan nodded slowly. A pain grew in her heart. She remembered how devastated they all were when they believed he was dead. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, reflecting on that moment. Then she thought of something and stared intently at Treestar. "So...just how much of us do you know?"

"Not everything. But we probably know a lot more than what you are comfortable with. Don't worry though. We never divulged any information outside our own pack. It's a policy of ours to ensure privacy against outsiders. Even the Darkarians follow this code, surprisingly. It's one of the very few Rock Ranger qualities they kept around."

Moynihan wanted to know more, but she realized that Stone must still be waiting for her, as well as the Dino Squad. "I should be getting back. I don't want to keep the kids or Stone or anyone else waiting for me at the meeting."

Treestar nodded. "We're used to delays, don't worry. Yeah hurry up and get back there. I'll be joining soon." With that, Moynihan disappeared down the tunnel.

___

Mr. Flagstaff had his face buried in his hands. He was normally more calm and collected about stuff. But what had happened not so long ago, it had him torn up in his heart. He couldn't believe what he and his wife were made to do, and to their own kids at that. How could they have allowed Axel to control them like that? How could they have betrayed their own? He never felt this angry at himself before in his life. Now he felt too ashamed to even warn Fiona and Terri about what happened.

Mrs. Flagstaff looked at her husband, a pitiful expression on her face. She understood what he was going through. She was feeling the same way. She looked at her cellphone, biting her lip in frustration that she couldn't do anything. It didn't help that Axel said she would be keeping an eye on them, somehow, to make sure they didn't try anything to get in her way. Not knowing what else to do, she moved towards her husband and sat down next to him.

"We'll think of something, dear." She said softly, smiling a weak smile at him. He looked her momentarily, and then looked away. She dropped her smile and looked away from him. She drew in a long, quiet breath. "I know what you're thinking, dear. That we should have done something more."

"And we could have!" Mr. Flagstaff said firmly. "If we do something soon, we could save them!" He quickly lost the energy and quieted down. "But who are we kidding? We don't know what these...creatures are capable of. They might be listening in on our conversation now."

Sadly, that was a very real possibility. What they knew of alimons, Terri and Fiona had told them. And from what they knew at the time, the alimons were very smart, very capable dinosaurs. They were not something to be underestimated. And from what they've seen of Axel, she was very sly, very cunning, and very lethal. The parents felt at a loss on what to do. There had to be some way to warn their kids, but they dare not risk it. They knew what would happen if they disobeyed the warning. It was far worse than what Axel already had planned, or so it seemed.

"We could try watching some television..." Mrs. Flagstaff suggested, her voice cautious."I know it won't make us feel better, but just something to get our minds off..."

"I can't believe you want to watch TV at a time like this." Mr. Flagstaff said, glaring at her. He opened his mouth to say more, but he shut it. Sighing, he looked away from her.

She looked away. "Yeah I know. It was a dumb idea." She picked up the remote. "But maybe we can find something we can do from watching it. You never know." With that, she flipped on the television. In seconds, the glow of the television was on her and her husband's faces. Mr. Flagstaff didn't look pleased that the TV was on, but she couldn't blame him, with what had happened. She wasn't really in a TV mood herself, but she thought it was better than just sitting in total silence.

By default, the television in front of them was set on the news channel. They watched it from time to time, but right now, Mrs. Flagstaff was not interested in hearing some news from around the world. It was hardly ever good news anyway. She was about to press the button to change it, but then something caught her eye. There was a flash of something familiar on the screen. Her eyes widened. She jumped off the couch, startling her husband, and, with the volume on the remote control busted, manually turned up the volume.

On the screen, they could hear the reporter talk about an incident that happened at Kittery High. But what they heard took them by complete shock. And the video footage didn't help either. They knew what they were seeing, but they could hardly believe it. Now the situation had just grown more dire.

"The reports came in from students that go to Kittery High. We have multiple witnesses and video evidence of what transpired here. Dinosaurs, that's right, dinosaurs had invaded the school and slaughted several students, teachers, and other faculty members. Even more shocking, it seems two students that attend this school, Neil Buzmati and Fiona Flagstaff, transformed into dinosaurs right in front of the students' eyes. The two had disappeared and no one has yet found them. The police are now beginning the investigation and..."

Mrs. Flagstaff shut off the TV and stared her husband. She knew they were both thinking the same thoughts. How could this have happened? Why didn't Fiona tell them about this? They didn't have a long time to think about this either. Someone came knocking on their door. They flinched, staring at the door with worried expressions on their faces. Cautiously, they opened up the door and welcomed the man at the door.

"Yes? How may we help you?" Mr. Flagstaff asked.

The man swiftly held out his badge. "I'm from the police station. We are hear to ask you about your daughter, Fiona Flagstaff."

___

Oscura growled loudly as she stood in front of Cobalt. Her fingers were tense, her claws replacing her finger nails. "Why can't you just let me leave? I'm fine now!"

Cobalt cocked an eyebrow. "Don't be silly, girl. It hasn't been nearly long enough." He took a step forward and used his shoulders to push her back down into the bed. "You need to take longer than this to heal, and after that, you all will be escorted to where the Dino Squad have been positioned. That will be the safest place you'll be until this crisis is over."

"Bah! I don't want to have anything to do with those losers!" Oscura hissed, folding her arms. She winced slightly at the pain, but she masked her expression well.

Cobalt shook his head. "It's either that, or you try your luck against the Darkarians again. And don't even think about the latter. You know very well you are lucky to even be alive. Now is not the time for some petty grudge against the Dino Squad. Now is the time to work together to fend off your attackers. You have potential, but you need work. A lot of work."

Oscura rolled her eyes. She laid down and turned her back to the blue alimon. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Cobalt knew not to say anything more to her. He left her and went over to Veloci. Luckily he had fallen asleep. Just before, he was ranting about how he didn't want to work with the Dino Squad. He was the most vocal about this. It didn't surprise him. He and the squad were mortal enemies. He knew that he had tried to kill them before. For the past hour, he was saying how he thought it was a sign of weakness to accept help from enemies. That rant just made him ever the more happy that he was asleep now.

He stood next to him as he lay there in his velociraptor form. He was glad that he had at least listened to advice and stayed transformed. Oscura didn't want to remain in dino mode just because she was told, and had shifted between the two forms, slowing her healing process. Cobalt looked closely at the tail, now bandaged and reattached to his body. Healing had come along slowly, even with the medicine he was given. Cobalt was hopeful that Veloci would heal fast enough to join in on the fight, provided he could convince him to do that.

Cobalt felt something nudge him from behind. He turned his neck to see Emerald, his older brother, standing before him. The bluegreen alimon looked a little worried. This worried Cobalt and wanted to immediately ask him what's wrong. But a gesture from his brother's eyes was enough. He looked over and saw Ezma, his aunt, laying on the ground in her human form, rubbing her jaws tenderly. She had decided on her own to stay. Had Donovan and Stone ordered her to say? Cobalt couldn't remember at this point.

Ezma had sustained a lot of damage to her jaws. When Crescent had examined her, she said that she was lucky to still have her lower jaw at all. It was nearly torn straight off. Crescent did what she could and bandaged up Ezma's mouth. Despite warnings, Ezma insisted on turning into her human form. She claims that it hurt less in her human form. Cobalt and Crescent couldn't figure out why, and when they asked, Ezma didn't really respond. They couldn't blame her. It hurt a lot for her to talk, and she was getting too tired to write.

Speaking of writing, Ezma had written something earlier. Cobalt had found a note, likely discarded or misplaced, and when he picked it up, he immediately recognized Ezma's hand, or rather, paw writing. What it said worried him greatly. The note had mentioned some kind of sinister plotting from the Darkarians. After what he had experienced with that heinous pack, he wasn't surprised. But what did worry him was the nature of the situation this time around.

Ezma had apparently snuck into their base, using the dirt and mud to disguise her scent. She had went to one of their meetings, making sure to stay in the shadows and higher ground. Listening to them, she had learned that the Darkarians had more planned than initially believed. Some Rock Rangers had believed that the Darkarians wanted to destroy all life to reshape it in their image. But many Rock Rangers, including himself, dismissed it. He and others thought the enemy was not stupid enough to do that. But according to Ezma's report, not only were they willing to do that, they were already setting forth a plan to do so.

And the plan was outright horrific. Ezma, in her message, described how the Darkarians were going to render many key species extinct in hopes of totally collapsing the ecosystems and drive as many species as they could to extinction. And for the survivors, they were going to personally hunt those down and slaughter them, poison them, whatever it took to drive them all away. Then the Darkarians were going to run a bioscan, using a machine they were going to build, to make sure no life was around anymore, except for them. Then they were going to use Raptor Dyne to create and repopulate the world with species from their old home.

Cobalt wanted to contact Stone and tell him about this, but he didn't want to take a chance and accidentally give away his location, and even if he was safe at home now, the barrier that surrounds the home blocks out most signals. Cobalt didn't remember what signal to use to break through, and neither did any alimon that was with him. Well except maybe Ezma, but he didn't want to make her talk. He looked at her sympathetically, hoping that his aunt would make a swift recovery.

"How are they all recovering?" Asked a female voice.

Cobalt turned and saw the familiar yellow and red alimon, Tana, standing a few feet away. He narrowed his eyes slightly. He was giving her the benefit of the doubt. He still felt a little wary around her. His brother and friend weren't as adverse to her. "They are doing fine. Oscura's recovery would be faster if she would remain in dinosaur form." He slowly turned his head, eyes narrowed, as he looked at the young girl. Oscura rolled her eyes.

Tana nodded her head. "Yes, I noticed that she doesn't like taking orders from you guys." Tana sounded a little nervous. She had never spent this long with the other pack. But she felt that it was better to remain here than to go back to the Darkarians and risk death for betraying them. She especially didn't want to face her sister, Axel, who would be more than happy to tear her open. "Anyway, I hope I wasn't out of line in asking Treestar about Moynihan's temper."

Cobalt shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

Emerald nodded. "Yeah. I don't think Treestar really minded it. She was just taken aback is all." Emerald paused briefly. "Yeah, I mean I thought that..." His voice trailed off.

"You thought what?" Tana asked.

Emerald frowned. "You know..I don't remember now." He rubbed his head in confusion. He shrugged it off and smiled. "Oh don't worry about it! I'm sure it'll come back to me at some point!"

"This is stupid!" Oscura cried out. She got up out of her bedding. She ignored the pain she felt as she walked. "I don't want to stay here anymore! I'm going home!" She headed towards the door, a trail of blood following her. The first one to try to stop her was Fluke, in human form. He grabbed onto her. But his human form was too lanky and he was shoved aside. Oscura quickened her pace and got close enough to grab the door handle. Before she could do anything, Kista appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her, and pulled her back.

"Let go!" Oscura cried out, struggling to get free from her guardian's arms.

Kista still had a lot of healing to do, and walking on her brace wasn't easy. But seeing Oscura almost walk out in her condition made her ignore the pain to stop her. Kista didn't want anything to happen to her, even in spite of all that she had done. "No, you are staying here!"

Oscura struggled further. "Why are you even bothering to stay here anyway?! This is the enemy's territory! We shouldn't be here! We should be back at Raptor Dyne! We should be home! Anywhere but here!"

Kista knew it was going to be hard to reason with Oscura. A part of her believed that the girl wasn't as bad as she let on. Yet she was not naïve and knew full well of the plotting Oscura did to kill Michelle. She never spoke up against it since Oscura never succeeded. And it didn't even matter now since Michelle betrayed them and joined the Dino Squad. Despite that, Kista felt something of respect for Michelle. The girl, having a puny guanlong form, had managed to hold her own in a battle against her.

Oscura had been upset because she didn't get to have fun with Michelle, but Kista shrugged it off. The black-haired teen had been too obsessed with getting revenge on Michelle and it was starting to interfere with her ability to work properly. Yet Veloci still kept her around because he admired the aggressiveness she displayed. He said it made her more dinosaur and less human. He had hoped that Michelle would become like that with enough training.

"Oscura, you're such an esurient! I can't believe you're stupid enough to go out and do this! You're hurt and you need time to recover! Don't be so convivial! Lay back down and get some rest!" Kista said, a worrisome tone mixed in with the firmness of her voice. She was a little surprised at the way she spoke, as she had never spoken that way to her before.

Oscura wanted to say something, but a feeling in her chest made her rethink this. She had to admit that she was starting to like Kista, perhaps a little more than she let on. And thinking about it, she had been getting a little carried away lately. She still didn't like staying at the lighthouse, but she knew Kista was right, despite her still misusing some big words. She decided not to say anything about it this time around. She stopped struggling and gave in. She felt Kista release her. She turned around and faced her. Then she did something that took everyone in the room by surprise.

She wrapped her arms around Kista and hugged her. The woman was shocked by this, but she soon returned the hug.


	40. Future Uncertain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I wrote for this story. At the moment, the story is canceled, but I may continue it at some point in the future.

Moynihan quickened her pace as she returned to the meeting room. As she entered, already she could tell she had been holding things up a bit. The crudely made seats were already filled up with many alimons. She counted at least twenty of them. All of them had an almost regal appearance, suggesting some grand importance to the pack. All eyes were on her as she made her way down. No one spoke a word, making Moynihan feel slightly uneasy.

Some of the alimons began murmuring to themselves. Some eyes widened, some eyes narrowed. She wondered if some of them recognized her somehow. If she truly had been a part of this pack before, and if these alimons were that long-lived, it wouldn't surprise her if at least one of them, other than Mudrock and Treestar, remembered who she was.

She felt a pang in her stomach as she looked over at Stone and Donovan, who were looking at her as if they wanted her to hurry up. She felt guilty for keeping them waiting and she quickly hurried to her seat. She noticed there was an empty one next to Max. She went over and sat down. She looked over at the Dino Squad. They were all unusually silent. She guessed that they were recently yelled at by Donovan. He seemed the sort to get a little testy and a little impatient.

After a few minutes of silence, Stone took a step up towards the center of the raised platform he was on. He looked down, eyeing everyone that was present. A part of him wasn't sure how to proceed, but another pushed himself along. He grabbed a thick paper, took one look at it, and glanced down at the pack and the Dino Squad.

"My fellow alimons, I've come to you with some unfortunate news. Some of you might have known this already, but Raptor Dyne, the stronghold of the enemy of the Dino Squad here, has been conquered by the Darkarians." Some of the alimons muttered words of surprise, while others expressed the fact that they already knew this. Not all alimons had instant access to the data collected. "As such, this makes our work that much more difficult. Since the dreaded Blizzard and his pack now have access to highly advanced bio technology, they can proceed with their plans at an alarmingly faster rate."

A dark blue alimon raised his tail up to get attention. "Excuse me, Stone, but how is this more worrying than before? The Darkarians were already planning on taking over the world."

"Yes, but we have reason to suspect that they will go further. We don't know yet what they have planned. Ezma had recently come back with a near broken jaw. She was attacked by Darkarians. Once she is healed, we will speak to her and find out what she's learned." Stone said.

"There is little reason to give the Darkarians much leeway. You know how they are, trained killers, abominations to the alimon name!" Donovan had spoken up now. Despite being further back, his deep voice could be heard even in the farthest row away from him. "That is why we will find out what they are up to and we will find a way to stop them!"

Some of the alimons looked skeptical. They had battling the Darkarians for countless years. Most had given up on the prospect of the war ending. If they couldn't end it millions of years ago, how were they going to stop it now? Some alimons shook their heads, a few offering a doubtful smirk in Donovan's direction. But none of the naysayers dared speak up, lest they want to get a mouthful from the black and blue alimon. There was a reason why Donovan was one of the few who was equal to Axel in battle.

"Thanks Donovan. You may sit down now." Stone said calmly, ushering his friend to move back. He couldn't allow Donovan to start up a riot. Now was the time for rational thinking, which Donovan, occasionally, forgets to do. He turned his attention back to the audience. "Some of the Raptor Dyne employees did survive. Veloci, Oscura, Peter, and Kista all survived and they are all detained at the lighthouse, where a handful of alimons, including my two sons, are stationed. Once they are healed enough, they will be coming here."

The Dino Squad looked at each other, feeling uneasy about this. Their worst enemies were coming here? They weren't sure how well that would go for them. They imagined that they would be forbidden to fight, but fighting the urge would be hard, especially after all what those four had done to them in the past. Michelle was the most unsure. She still had some lingering fear of Veloci and Oscura. They both hated her equally and would love to see her dead. What was going to prevent them from killing her in her sleep when they arrived?

But then again, the Rock Ranger pack looked just as capable of the Darkarians. And Donovan's temper was so nasty that they felt it would scare even Oscura into behaving herself. They realized that they should be perfectly safe as long as they stayed near the alimons here. If any of them step out of line, they were certain the Rock Rangers would stop them. Of course, this meant they themselves would have to be restrained; some of them had a desire to get back at the Raptor Dyne survivors. Still, perhaps it could work out after all, if they played their cards right. Or would it? Some lingering doubt would still remain in their hearts, a hesitation.

A white alimon spoke up. "How do we know everyone in Raptor Dyne is dead other than them? What if there are survivors? Wouldn't they try to do something?"

Stone looked over at the alimon who spoke. "If the building is conquered, it is too late for any survivors. They will either be killed or turned into slaves. The Raptor Dyne minions of Veloci's are not so effective without their leader. With all dinosaur morphers away, they wouldn't stand a chance." He paused for a moment to think. Raising a clawed finger, he said, "But yes, we have suspected that some others might still be alive. If we can find proof of that, we will send in a rescue team to get them out."

"And what of Axel? Have you not heard the report that she was spotted near Ms. Flagstaff's house?" A pale blue and white alimon chimed in. Her voice was that of urgency. "A scout recently informed me about this, but he was unfortunately not able to watch her for long. He had to leave before Axel could see him."

A sharp pang caused Fiona to clench her chest. She looked over, craning her neck in desperation to see the alimon that had spoke. What did she mean by spotting Axel in her neighborhood? Had Axel gone into her house? Did she do something to her parents? She bit her lip, her heart starting to race. She looked over at Caruso. The dark-haired boy looked at her sympathetically.

"Do you think..she got them?" Fiona asked in a soft voice.

Caruso wanted to say something to cheer her up. "Well we don't know that yet. Let's see what they have to say."

"But what if she did?" Fiona said sternly, gripping his arm tightly. "What if they went after your parents too?"

Caruso's eyes widened and he gulped. "Fiona..."

Rodger looked over at the two. "Hey, can you two let the alimon speak? Maybe it will be good news." With that, he turned his attention over to Stone, waiting to see what he had to say. He wasn't sure if he was going to be right or not, but he hated listening to Caruso and Fiona talk like this. A part of him was worried too.

"That we haven't heard." Stone said. His voice showed a slight tinge of worry. He looked over at Donovan and Treestar. Neither of them had anything to say. He looked back at the white female who spoke. "Thank you for that information, Zen." Stone said, identifying the female. "That is worrying news indeed. We will find out what Axel was up to in that neighborhood as soon as we can."

"I understand." The female, Zen, said, nodding her head. "I will be more than happy to accept the task of investigation."

Stone nodded in response to her. "The pack will be grateful." He turned his attention back to the audience as a whole. "If anyone here has any ideas on what to do, now will be the time to speak up. Everyone is welcome to give their input, including our guests here. Just no tearing each other's throats apart or anything." He gave a light chuckle.

___

Zoom growled under his breath. His eyes slowly opened. The world was nothing but a daze to him. He shook his head and realized he was laying on top of a large rock pile. He sat up, hearing rocks rolling down the pile as he did so. He looked around the area he was in. It looked like he was in a forest, though he realized this was not so as he noticed buildings close by. The darkness overhead assured him that there would be few people here to notice him crawling out of the pile. He didn't want anyone questioning him about what happened because he honestly did not remember.

The last thing he could remember was being chased by some strange creatures, calling themselves alimons. He, and he recalled O'Ryan was there with him, had fought back, using long broken off poles they had found. They beat back the alimons, keeping them at bay. Then there was a loud boom and the floor crumbled. He could not remember anything after that. Next thing he knew, he had woken up here, in the Boston Common. He vaguely remembered being here before, when Veloci forced him and a couple others to fight the Dino Squad as mutantsaurs.

Thinking of Veloci, he wondered what happened to him. He couldn't see him anywhere. He wondered if he had gone away somewhere. He couldn't even hear him yelling at a subordinate, which he found strange. The guy was always angry about something it seemed. Still, Zoom wasn't really worried about him. He didn't care of Veloci was gone or dead or what. All it would mean to him was freedom to do whatever he wanted.

He wondered if he should even bother to go looking for him. Veloci could take care of himself. And he had plenty of other subordinates to do his bidding. He wouldn't notice if someone were to go missing. Veloci could just deem him dead and not blink an eye. Zoom didn't care about Veloci and he knew he didn't care a thing about him, or any of his human servants anyway. So as far as Zoom was concerned, Veloci can get himself out of trouble. Right now, Zoom was more interested in pursuing his own goals. He still wanted to get back at Buzz for humiliating him.

The anger he usually felt wasn't there now. It had lessened. His narrowed eyes softened. He realized that the only reason he wanted revenge on Buzz was because the kid had humiliated him in front of Veloci. But now knowing Veloci as he really was, should he really be still upset about that? He shook his head. No, he still needed to teach the boy a lesson anyway. Even though it was just Veloci, what would have happened if it were on national television? Or someone more important than Veloci? Buzz and his friends would need to learn to stay out of his way.

He went to wipe his brow when he noticed something unusual about his hand. It was not there. Instead, in its place, was the familiar cheetahsaur paw he had seen just before he lost his mind and went feral, under the mad scientist's control. Gasping in shock, Zoom ran down the rock pile and went up towards the lake. He looked down at his refection. The rippled water before him showed back the image of the cheetahsaur, complete with the spikes, claws, and dinosaurian appearance intermingling with feline.

But how was this possible? He thought he had lost this form weeks ago. How did he manage to regain it? And how did he transform? He could now see the blood on his paws. He must have been fighting. Had he transformed in a rage to fight the alimons? He looked back at the pile. Maybe that's how he survived. Maybe his mutantsaur self protected him from being crushed under all that weight. Dinosaurs were more durable than mammals.

'Ah there you are!' A voice called out in his mind. Zoom looked over and saw a massive bear, no, bearsaur, heading towards him. He knew it was O'Ryan. 'I've been looking all over for you!'

Zoom nodded his head. 'I had just woken up. What happened here?'

O'Ryan paused and blinked. He glanced back at the pile. 'I'm shocked you even survived that.' He turned his head back and sat down on his back legs. 'Anyway, we were both working in the stock room when the alimons had attacked. We both fought back the best we could, but the alimons were too strong. One of them knocked me out of the room and started to drag me away. I don't know what happened to you after that. This is the first time I saw you since then.' O'Ryan's voice was slightly shaken, as if he were amazed what he had been through. 'I suddenly transformed into my bearsaur self. I don't know how or why, but it didn't matter. I fought back and managed to slay at least two alimons. I ran through the building and jumped out. The fall had knocked me out for a while. As soon as I woke up, I went looking for you.'

Zoom listened to what O'Ryan told him. He looked back at the pile. 'I can't remember how that happened. I think I involuntarily transformed and fought, and then one of the alimons pulled out..some kinda weapon, and shot it. Then everything went dark.'

'A weapon? Like a bomb?' O'Ryan asked.

'No, smaller. The whole building didn't go down.' Zoom said. 'I can't pinpoint it. But it doesn't matter anymore. We're both alive and Raptor Dyne was attacked. We know that much and it's enough for me.' Zoom dipped his paws into the lake to wash them clean of the blood. 'I wonder if we should find any survivors.' He didn't like the idea, and he doubted O'Ryan did either. But he figured asking him would not hurt.

'I doubt we will find any. The alimons really tore the place up. I did find some employees, but they were ripped to shreds.' O'Ryan said.

'Ah, okay.' Zoom said, uncaring. He was alive and that what was most important to him.

A quick shadow moved along the ground. Zoom and O'Ryan shut their mouths and stared. They looked around to see where it came from. Another shadow moved again, this time close to some trees. They began to suspect it was more alimons coming in to finish where they left off. They braced themselves, baring their sharp teeth in defense. They looked around, muscles tense, minds sharp and alert. They were not going to allow the alimons victory on them.

They heard a snap and they turned around. They did not see anything, except for the glimpse of a tail moving through the foliage. The bright colors gave away it was an alimon. O'Ryan growled softly and told Zoom to stay put. Zoom, on the other hand, had other plans. Eyes narrowed, he took off after the alimon, leaving O'Ryan cursing at him from behind. Seeing no choice, the bearsaur had to follow. He was having a hard time catching up to the cheetahsaur. A bear could not run as fast as a cheetah. His heart pounding heavily, O'Ryan began losing his breath and he had to slow down.

Zoom continued running. The tail flashed again, and he veered off in a new direction to keep up. He kept chasing the tail until he realized it was leading him back towards O'Ryan. Unable to stop, Zoom tripped across the ground and his skinny body slammed against O'Ryan's thicker form. The two crashed into the dirt, kicking up grass and pebbles. They climbed back into their feet just as a set of jaws clamped down on them. They were pushed into the ground, heavy paws weighing them down. They struggled to get free and managed to knock their attackers back. They jumped away and twisted their bodies around to face their attackers.

Two alimons stood before them, one with long feathers and one with short downy feathers. One of them white with bright light blue markings, the other almost all purple with some red. They stared at O'Ryan and Zoom for the longest time. The silence between the two groups was intense. Growling and hissing filled the air. The two mutantsaurs waited for the alimons to do something. But all they did was bare their teeth at them. At first, it looked like they weren't going to fight after all.

But this was quickly proven wrong when the white alimon lunged forward and bit onto Zoom's neck. Zoom grunted in pain as he felt himself be pushed into the ground again. The pressure on his neck increased. He shut his eyes, expecting the alimon to rip out his throat. But instead he heard talking, feminine talking, coming from the purple alimon.

"That's enough, Stormwhite. Neither of them will be of any use to us if we kill them now." She said, her voice unemotional yet stern.

"Okay, Violet, dear sister." Stormwhite said, chuckling in sarcasm as he said that. He released his grip on Zoom and smiled down at him. He stared at him and then looked at O'Ryan. "It is a lucky day for you two. Today, you will not be killed by us. Instead, you are going on a little mission."

'Mission? Now see here!' O'Ryan said, showing off his huge, bear-like teeth. 'We are nobody's puppets, especially not me!'

Stormwhite stared him and then laughed. "Well last I checked, you two worked for Veloci, am I correct?"

O'Ryan paused. 'That means nothing! You two cannot tell us what to do!'

'Yeah!' Zoom joined in, thrashing his tail around. 'And there ain't nothing you can tell us that will make us change our minds!'

"Oh really?" Stormwhite said, a creepy smile crawling across his face. "Are you absolutely sure about that? Violet?" He called out to his sister, craning his head to look at her. She walked up to him, holding a small box in her paws. She opened it slowly, showing the contents to Zoom and O'Ryan. A look of shock came over their faces. "Would this entice you more?"

Inside the box were items the two of them thought they'd never get back. For O'Ryan, the video that he had taken of one of the Dino Squad kids transforming was there. It was fully remastered and cleaned off. It looked like it would play on any DVD player. There wasn't a scratch on it. For Zoom, the photo that Buzz had taken from him, the singer's head on the body of a pteranodon, sat in a digital frame. The resolution was so great it looked like it was real life rather than a photograph. The two of them didn't know how these alimons obtained these. But they still wanted them back.

'How did you get those?' Zoom said, his expression softening just slightly.

"Never you mind that." Violet said as she shut the box tightly. "You won't get them back unless you agree to do us one, single favor."

'And what favor might that be?' O'Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes deeply. 'Because I'd be willing to do anything for that footage back. It'll make me rich!'

Stormwhite grinned widely. "It is simple. All you two must do is kill Dr. Veloci."

___

The meeting was taking longer than anyone, including Stone, had expected. There had been multiple discussions and debates on what to do. Some wanted to hunt down the Darkarians as soon as possible. They knew where their new base was and how to get there. They believed they should go on full offensive and attack the Darkarians before they could do any more harm. Others were more skeptical. They stated that the Darkarians were smart and now had more eyes and ears than ever before. Sneaking in would be very difficult, and even if they could manage it, the enemy could have already laid out traps for them.

Both sides had some convincing arguments. It was practically at a stand still, and neither side was backing down. Some arguments escalated into actual fighting. A few alimons snapped their jaws at each other. They only stopped when Donovan roared loudly to quiet them down. The Dino Squad looked a little uneasy by this point. They had thought these alimons would act more civil than the other pack. But seems even these guys were not totally immune to inner primal rage.

The Dino Squad dared not speak up. They were foreigners in this new strange land. They didn't feel like they could contribute anything worthwhile since they did not fully understand the alimons' lifestyle and politics and such. They were worried they would offend them. Despite encouragement from a few nearby Rock Rangers, no one in the squad said anything. They opted to just continue listening to the alimons debate on what to do. Their minds were wandering through many thoughts as it was. They wondered what they were going to do about the Darkarians and Veloci. How would things go after the Darkarians were defeated? Or could they be defeated at all?

Another point was brought up, one that was almost forgotten. Buzz and Fiona had been exposed as being morphers. Some began to discuss whether or not that meant there was an increased alert, more humans being wary and on the watch for anything suspicious. Some alimons frowned and shook their heads. This would cause trouble indeed. It may even slow them down unless they act so picture perfect normal, or what the humans considered normal anyway.

Buzz winced as he remembered the alimon that caused him to transform in front of the student body. Ysengrim, that was a name he would never forget. The blue female had been enraged at him for killing her friend. He had told her it was an accident, but she wouldn't listen. He didn't expect her to. He would be as upset as her if he were in her shoes. But he never thought that she would go as far as expose him and Fiona like that.

Now he wondered if the other students caught on and started to think the others were also dinosaur transformers like he was. Was it even safe to go back to his old neighborhood? And surely his parents would have seen the news report. He wasn't doubting that some students reported the incident, perhaps holding video footage of the incident. His dad already knew, but his mother did not. If she saw the report, she was going to find out soon enough. He wondered if she was going to try to cure him in desperation to make him normal again. Well normal for him anyway.

Rodger's mind was wondering as well, but for a different reason. He went back to thinking about the database that had all that information about them, and their enemies, stored. He felt a bit uneasy about it. He wasn't sure if he would feel comfortable just being himself anymore. If he had known he was being watched, he would have been more careful about what he did or said, or at least tried harder to earn some privacy. Despite Stone and Donovan telling him that the information was never misused and that spying on them was just their way of protecting them from the Darkarians, Rodger felt there was little difference between the Darkarians spying and the Rock Rangers spying, even if the end goal was completely different.

The technology could have some good use, he felt. Despite his being unsure about being watched, he began to think that maybe they could use the spy technology in a new way. He knew about the military trying out robotic drones to carry out simple tasks. And he knew that the alimons had some level of advanced technology. Perhaps they could figure out a way to use the spy tech as some kind of weapon. He narrowed his eye as he thought about this. Yes, it could prove handy.

The dark-skinned geek lifted up a thick arm. Stone gave him a look and nodded his head. "Looks like the Dino Squad finally decided to speak." He commented.

Rodger stood up. He felt a little uncomfortable speaking in front of a large group of carnivores. He reminded himself that they were just as sentient as humans. He cleared his throat and said, "I have a question first. What is the name of the technology you alimons have been using to spy on us? Is there a certain name or...?"

Stone and Donovan stared at each other. Stone blinked a few times. Donovan turned his head over and said, "Why must you know that?"

"I'll explain more if you just answer me." Rodger said.

Donovan growled slightly in annoyance. Stone lifted up a paw to silence him. Stone said, "Nanocams is what we call them. Of course we also use human disguises to keep an eye on you. But for the times we can't, nanocams. Tiny robotic gnats. Pretty crude, but effective." Rodger nodded his head. "Why did you want to know?"

"Well what if we could turn those into weapons?" Rodger said, gesturing with his hands to make his point. "We could equip some kind of small weapon into them and have them infiltrate the Darkarian base. Gnats are such tiny creatures. I doubt the Darkarians would take much notice to them. We just round up a few and..."

Donovan spoke up before Rodger could continue. "Except that the Darkarians also use this technology. They might be suspicious or have ways to figure out if they are real or robotic without having to catch them.

Rodger looked disappointed. "Oh man, I thought for sure that would work..."

Rodger was about to sit back down, but Stone spoke up, "Now hold on a second, the boy might be onto something!" Rodger perked up at this. Everyone else listened to Stone in curiosity. "Now we may not be able to use the gnats as weapons. The Darkarians would indeed get suspicious." A glint came to Stone's eye and he lifted up a claw. "But what if we used something even smaller than that? Something half the size of a gnat?"

"You cannot be serious!" An alimon from the audience shouted.

"It was hard enough to do the gnats!" Another shouted. "How could we go even smaller?"

"Now see here. You both know that some of our own had been working on nanotech as small as a grain of sand!" Donovan hissed. "So don't act like it's impossible for us!" The two alimons quieted down and bowed their heads. Donovan turned his attention to Rodger. "You make a good argument, kid. And suppose we do find a way to use nanotech as weaponry, what do you propose we do?"

Rodger thought about this. It didn't take him long to know what he'd want to be done first. "The most important thing we must do is disable their technology, at least what is in Raptor Dyne. We need a way to destroy the power cables so they don't have any power. That would slow them down for a time." Rodger found himself standing back up as he felt more confident. "While their power is out, we could launch a surprise attack. I know it still won't be easy, but we may have a better chance when they have no power to spy on us with. And once we reclaim Raptor Dyne, we can begin to drive back the Darkarians!"

Multiple alimons cheered Rodger and his idea. So many were congratulating him on the idea that the boy had a hard time discerning what was being said. He looked back at his team mates. They smiled widely back him. Rodger felt himself blush from embarrassment. He was used to getting positive praise, but never from so many people before, even if the people were mostly alimons.

"That idea just may work." Stone said. He scratched his chin gently as he settled down on his belly. "Of course we would need to work fast. The Darkarians may be starting the next stage of their plan. Time is of the essence here." Other alimons nodded their heads. They knew that Stone was right.


End file.
